The Unbearable Lightness of Being Part 2, Chapter 25 Summary

  • The woman photographer who had dropped off the nude beach article took Tereza out to coffee and told her that, from what she'd seen of Tereza's photographs, she would be an excellent fashion photographer.
  • But Tereza isn't interested. She knows her enthusiasm for photography is just an excuse to get at something higher, to be part of Tomas's world.
  • The pictures of the Russian invasion are different, however.
  • She did not take them for Tomas. She took them out of hatred. And no one wanted to publish them because they were out of date, and the situation (the invasion) would never recur.
  • Tereza explains to the woman that she doesn't want a trivial job taking photographs, and that she's fine staying at home because her husband can support her.
  • The other woman calls her anachronistic (i.e., out-of-date, belonging to another time) in response.