Emil Cioran Book order

“An antidote to a world gone mad for bedside affirmation"—Washington Post. E. M. Cioran has been called the last worthy disciple of Nietzsche and "a sort of final philosopher of the Western world" who "combines the compassion of poetry and the audacity of cosmic clowning" (Washington Post). All Gall Is Divided is the second book Cioran published in French after moving from his native Romania and establishing himself in Paris. It revealed him as an aphorist in a long tradition descending from the ancient Greeks through La Rochefoucault but with a gift for lacerating, subversively off-kilter insights, a twentieth-century nose for the absurdities of the human condition, and what Baudelaire called "spleen." The aphorisms collected here address themes from the atrophy of utterance and the condition of the West to the abyss, solitude, time, religion, music, the vitality of love, history, and the void. The award-winning poet and translator Richard Howard has characterized them as "manic humor, howls of pain, and a vestige of tears," but, as he notes too, in these expressions of the philosopher's existential estrangement, there glows "a certain sweetness for all of what Cioran calls 'amertume.'"

E. M. Cioran, a Romanian philosopher, challenges readers to confront reality without illusions, suggesting that only a "monster" can embrace the truth of existence. His philosophical insights draw comparisons to the works of Samuel Beckett, emphasizing themes of despair and the human condition. Through his provocative ideas, Cioran invites an exploration of deep existential questions, encouraging a raw and unfiltered perspective on life and its inherent struggles.

Disaster, according to the caustically brilliant philosopher E. M. Cioran, lies not in the prospect of our deaths, but in the fact of our birth, that 'laughable accident'. In these pessimistic, nihilistic and darkly funny aphorisms, he strips the human condition down to its most basic and grapples with questions such as the passing of time, our inability to live in the world or just make ourselves get out of bed in the morning.

Cioran's work exemplifies the philosophical essay genre with its brilliance and originality, prompting deep reflection and emotional responses from readers. His thought-provoking ideas challenge conventional thinking, making his essays both compelling and unsettling. With a unique style that engages the intellect, Cioran's writings invite readers to explore profound themes of existence, despair, and the human condition, leaving a lasting impression and stimulating further contemplation.

'A Short History of Decay' is a nihilistic and witty collection of aphoristic essays concerning the nature of civilisation in mid-20th century Europe.