Milan Kundera dies at 94: 6 must-read books by the author

Czechoslovakia-born French writer Milan Kundera died in Paris at the age of 94, as per reports in the local media.

His renowned novel, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", opens wrenchingly with Soviet tanks rolling through Prague, the Czech capital that was the author's home until he moved to France in 1975.

Here are 6 must-read books written by him:

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984)

Released in 1984, the book is the tale of two men, two women, a dog and how they led their lives during the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history. In 1988, A film adaptation of the book was released titled with the same title as the book, starring Daniel-Day Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin.

• The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1980)

The book, which was released in English in 1980, talks about seven different tales which is united by a few common themes. The stories also have elements found in the genre of magic realism.

• Immortality (1988)

Initially released in Czech in 1988 and later translated and published in English in 1991, "Immortality" is split into seven parts and revolves around the story of Agnes, her husband Paul, and her sister Laura. The book was the last in the trilogy that included The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.

• The Joke (1967)

First published in 1967 in Czech and later in English in 1969, "The Joke" is the story of how a student's private joke wrecks his life. Like many of Kundera's books, The Joke, too, is split into seven parts.

• Laughable Loves (1969)

"Laughable Loves" was first published in 1969 and later re-published in English in 1974. It is a collection of seven stories which combines the extremes of tragedy with comic situations in relationships.

• Identity (1998)

Released in 1998, "Identity" narrates the tale of a relationship between Chantal and her partner Jean-Marc. The book is set in France and was Kundera's second book to be written in French.