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  It’s hard to overstate how central Milan Kundera was, in the mid-1980s, to literary culture in America and elsewhere. He was the best-known Czech writer since Kafka, and his fiction brought news of sophisticated Eastern European societies trembling under the threat of Soviet repression. Reviews of his erotic, heavy-hearted and metaphysical novels commanded the front pages of books sections, as did his occasional interviews. His work cast a spell, and few did not submit. In every college town, people were buying, reading and crushing on Kundera. His status has fallen somewhat. In retrospect, the moment feels slightly like a mass delusion, if an agreeable and largely worthwhile one. Surveys of his suggestive, forsaken and mystical books instructed the front pages of books areas, as did his periodic meetings. His work cast a spell, and few didn't submit. In each school town, individuals were purchasing, perusing and pounding on Kundera. His status has fallen fairly. Everything consi...