Pascal Mercier Book order

Dignity is humanity's most prized possession, and its loss is a profound humiliation that can make life feel unworthy. In this compelling work, philosopher Peter Bieri reexamines the concept of human dignity, challenging traditional views that see it as an innate quality or a right inherent to all humans. Instead, he posits that dignity is a way of living—a pattern of thought, experience, and action. Bieri identifies three key dimensions of dignity: the treatment I receive from others, the treatment I extend to others, and my self-perception. Each dimension is interconnected, contributing to the complexity of situations where dignity is at stake. Bieri explores why we invented the concept of dignity and its role in our lives, suggesting that, as fragile beings, we face constant threats. A dignified way of living serves as a means to cope with these threats, allowing us to stand our ground with confidence. Ultimately, it answers the question of what kind of life we aspire to live. This insightful reflection on our most cherished human value will resonate with a diverse audience.

It all starts with the death of Martijn van Vliet's wife. His grief-stricken young daughter, Lea, cuts herself off from the world, right up until the day that she hears a snatch of Bach being played on a violin by a busker. Transfixed by the sweet melody, she emerges from her mourning, vowing to learn the instrument. Lea's all-consuming passion is matched by talent, and she becomes one of the finest players in the country - but as her fame blossoms, her relationship with her father only withers. Desperate to hold on to Lea, Martin is driven to commit an act that threatens to destroy both him and his daughter.

From the internationally bestselling author of 'Night Train to Lisbon' comes a compelling novel about one man's attempt to extricate himself from his featureless existence and find a life of passion and danger.

Raimund Gregorius is a mild-mannered, middle-aged professor of ancient languages. One morning, as he is teaching, he is seized by a restlessness that drives him to abandon his classroom then and there - shocking his students, and surprising even himself. His unusual impulsiveness is driven by two chance encounters - with a mysterious Portuguese woman in a red coat; and with a book he finds hidden in a dusty corner of a second-hand bookshop, the journal of an enigmatic Portuguese aristocrat, Amadeu de Prado. With the book as his talisman, Raimund boards the night train to Lisbon on a journey to find out more about Prado, whose words haunt and compel him. Gradually, a picture of an extraordinary man emerges: a difficult, brilliant, charismatic figure, a doctor and a poet, and a rebel against Salazar's dictatorship. And as Prado's story comes to light so, too, Gregorius himself begins his life anew.