Life is Elsewhere

Originally called The Lyrical Age, Milan Kundera’s literary novel Life is Elsewhere (1973) explores themes of love, youth, and revolution through the eyes of a rebellious young poet. The book won a prestigious French literary award in 1973, and it received a National Book Award nomination in 1975. Kundera, a Czech writer, has lived as an exile in France since 1975, becoming naturalized in 1981. Communist Czechoslovakia censored his books, banning them until the downfall of the government in 1989. Now widely regarded as one of Czechoslovakia’s best writers, Kundera is best known for writing The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Life is Elsewhere takes place in Czechoslovakia before, during, and after World War II. The narrative spans poet Jaromil’s entire life. Although Jaromil talks about life from infancy to adulthood, his childhood and adolescent years are the most formative.

Jaromil talks about his origins. His father, an engineer, only married his mother, Maman, because she became pregnant. An unhappy marriage, they both feel trapped. When Jaromil is born, their relationship deteriorates further. Maman showers Jaromil with affection to make up for his father’s emotional distance. She tracks everything about him, from his eating schedule to his bowel movements.



Jaromil’s father tells Maman that he doesn’t love her anymore, but they agree to stay together for propriety’s sake. He works constantly and is never home, which suits everyone. Jaromil doesn’t notice his father’s absence because he is so spoiled and coddled. Maman’s family makes him feel that he is the smartest, most talented boy in the world, and he believes his own hype.

Boys at school bully Jaromil because he is spoiled and arrogant. To prove that he is not conceited, he eventually befriends the school janitor’s son. Together, they beat up Jaromil’s main tormentor. Jaromil is now convinced that he is invincible and that the whole world revolves around him.

Jaromil’s feelings of self-importance only worsen as he gets older and his mother becomes more fanatical. By the time he is 13, she convinces him that he is an artistic prodigy. Whenever he draws something unusual, she tells him that he is a visionary. If he crafts a thoughtful poem, she is convinced that he is a literary genius. However, despite his sense of grandeur, he feels something is missing from his life.



Jaromil realizes that he needs more freedom and independence. Although Maman’s approval means the world to him, it is not enough anymore. He flirts with girls and looks for new friends, despite Maman’s best efforts to keep him sheltered from the world. As she loses control of Jaromil, Maman finds solace with a handsome local artist. It doesn’t feel like she is having an affair because her husband isn’t around anymore, and they never have sex.

Meanwhile, Jaromil struggles to find a girlfriend. Lacking social skills, he doesn’t know how to talk to women other than Maman. Not until university does he meets his first girlfriend, and although he is attracted to her, he can’t perform sexually. She dumps him and he loses his confidence. For the first time, he feels inferior.

Before long, a new girlfriend comes along. Attracted to Jaromil, she doesn’t care about his lack of sexual experience. Although they sleep together, and Jaromil enjoys it, he still feels inferior. He is embarrassed that she is so much more sexually experienced than him because he is convinced that men should know more about sex than women. His inferiority complex causes the relationship to fall apart.



Jaromil believes he will never meet the right woman. Blaming his overprotective, overbearing mother for everything, he decides to shun women entirely. With no women to worry about, Jaromil throws himself into his poetry and politics. However, just as he decides to join the Communist revolution, he takes up with his old girlfriend again instead.

Jaromil divides his time between his girlfriend and his poetry. He reads at local bars and coffee shops. One day, he is approached by a familiar face—the janitor’s son. He works for the police now, torturing and interrogating political prisoners. Meeting him reminds Jaromil of how eagerly they both tortured the school bully all those years ago, and he reflects on the nature of good and evil.

Meanwhile, Jaromil fights with his girlfriend again. He wonders why she is so distant and why she canceled a date recently. She claims that she is having family problems, but the truth is that she is sleeping with a middle-aged man. Jaromil suspects that she is lying, but he decides to let it go. He doesn’t plan to see her again.



With no friends or family left, Jaromil throws himself into his poetry once more. He feels rundown and sick, but he doesn’t stop working. Before he can complete his latest work, he falls seriously ill with pneumonia, and he dies soon after. Jaromil leaves no legacy behind, despite all his hard work and his many talents.