Milan Kundera will donate his books, archive, and photos to the Moravian Library in Brno

Brno, July 30 (CTK) – Czech writer Milan Kundera, 91, living in Paris, will donate the collection of various editions of his books and his archive of articles and other documents to the Moravian Library in Brno, library worker Radoslav Pospichal told CTK Thursday.

The collection will be transported from the Paris flat of Kundera and his wife Vera this autumn.

The Moravian Library (MZK) plans to enable the access to the books for scholars and researchers as well as other people interested in the works of Kundera, a native of Brno, Pospichal added.

Kundera’s library, which he was completing for years, includes all of his literary works published in Czech and more than 40 other languages. It is to be further extended in Brno by other Czech and foreign editions of his books on the basis of an agreement with the copyright holders.

The donation also includes the archive of articles written by Kundera or about him, reviews of his books collected by his publishers in the Czech Republic and abroad, authorized photographs, and Kundera’s drawings. The archive material will be accessible to the public primarily in digital form.

Culture Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD) welcomed the decision by Kundera and his wife. Zaoralek called the gift “a special cultural event.” It shows that Kundera “has and had the closest relation to this country,” the minister added.

In connection with his donation, Kundera said that “books belong to a library,” the MZK wrote in its press release.

The MZK has long cooperated with the Kunderas. Last year, it prepared an exhibition about the writer and published a book on translations of his works, including a bibliography.

“Milan Kundera’s gift to the library is not only a message to Czech readers, but also a commentary on his relation to Brno, his native town,” MZK director Tomas Kubicek said.

After listing and registering Kundera’s collection, the MZK plans to place it in an independent study room to be named The Library of Milan Kundera where readings, debates with writers, and discussions about literature and culture can be held.

The MZK press release also includes statements by Vera Kunderova, saying the donation is not “an isolated event.”