The Czech author Milan Kundera was born in Brno where his father was a pianist and professor at the Academy of Music. Kundera studied literature and aesthetics at Charles University in Prague and film at the Academy of Performing Arts, where he was appointed lecturer in world literature and later professor. He was removed from his post in 1970. Kundera was a member of the Communist party between 1948 and 1950, when he was expelled because of "anti-party activities". He was readmitted in 1956 and remained a member until 1970.