Milan Kundera was not only the voice of European literature, but also of the European spirit and freedom, French politicians agree. French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to the Czech writer, who died this Tuesday at the age of 94, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, who spoke about him in connection with European unity against Russia, the French edition of the Huffington Post wrote.
“This summit was a summit of unity, determination and efficiency. (…) In this uncertain time, we had to send a clear message to Russia that it will not divide or exhaust our European partners and allies,” Macron said at the end of the summit, which was dedicated in particular to Ukraine, which is resisting the Russian invasion . “And we had to tell him he couldn’t hijack the West again, dear Milan Kunderovato whom I would like to pay tribute today,” said the French president, referring to Kunder’s essay The Stolen West from 1983, which was published this year as a book and in Czech.
Macron later tweeted his sincere condolences to Kunder’s family and readers. “Thanks to his irony and talent, his works have become contemporary classics,” the statesman wrote.
The essay Abducted West, which calls for the defense of the countries in the heart of the continent, including the former Czechoslovakia, was also remembered on Twitter by French Minister of Transport Clément Beaune, who thanked the writer for the beautiful decades of literature and Europe.
“Milan Kundera left as a free man. A novelist and an intellectual who pondered what Europe stood on, he left us a literary legacy that is as rich as it is unforgettable,” Yaël Braunová-Pivetová, president of the lower house of the French parliament, wrote on Twitter.
“Kundera chose France so that he would never lose his freedom. Through his pages, he helped us discover who we are, find a way through the absurdity of the world,” French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malakova said on Twitter, saying she felt “immense sadness.”
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo called Kundera the most European of all writers. According to French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, the world will miss the work and voice of the Czech writer.
