>If so, why?
It's a shirking of responsibility, even over oneself- a false one, because the ability remains- to arrive at some significant conclusion, and then live as if nothing happened.
I've read (in translation) all his main stuff from the French period, and the two available Romanian books. Made a project of it starting about 18 months ago.
Probably A Short History of Decay (his French debut), it's the one in the bunch that I'm seriously considering re-reading at some point. Also Trouble with Being Born is a bit over-rated on account of the marketable title (Barnes and Noble are literally stocking it on the shelves now purely because of us).
It's the one he poured his little black heart and soul into. He rewrote it multiple times and wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect before he would allow it to be published. His plan worked. The frogs liked it right way, he actually accepted the prize they gave him (he usually didn't do that), and it established his reputation. The rest, he just does his usual thing of whining about life.
A personal favorite essay is Odyssy of Rancor (which is a sustained, withering screed which can be summed up as follows: hatred is stronger than love, it made such an impression on me that I re-read it almost immediately), but the other surrounding stuff in History and Utopia isn't his top-drawer stuff. Anathemas and Admirations (a mash-up of his last two books) also has above-average aphorisms and, usefully, his personal reflections on various French literary figures.
Reading him chronologically was an interesting project. When you pay attention you see how he repeats himself a lot. In the 60s-70s he actually seems to get angrier for a time and has teenage-tier edgy lines about fantasizing about killing people/caving random people's heads in, opposite to what usually happens with old men who mellow out as their T goes down.
1 month ago
Anonymous
Interesting , I’ll read a short history of decay next I think. He said on the heights of despair had no style and was a poor book. Funnily enough I prefer it to the trouble with being born so far. Wonder why he accepted the prize for that one
1 month ago
Anonymous
Heights of Despair is perfectly fine and actually quite good for something written in one's early 20s, he just has an older man's disdain for what his younger self put out. A piece that I like from that one is his bewilderment at how everyone keeps busy and manages to do normal things. He then fantasizes that everyone just stops what they're doing, everyone just empties out onto the streets, stares blankly into the sky and some big maelstrom sweeps everything away.
The major theme in that one is to catalogue negative emotions and distinguish them from each other: differences between sadness and melancholy, momentary pain doesn't count as suffering because the only true suffering is long-lasting, etc,
1 month ago
Anonymous
Yeah i like heights of despair a lot. Does repeat himself in some aspects but as you said 22 when he wrote it.
>I LOVE LIF-ACCK
if you're going to live it you may as well love it
Did you expect him to off himself? If so, why? Curious to see your reasoning, or absence of reasoning.
i have no reasoning
i'm just bored and A Short History of Decay arrived today
>i'm just bored
Then read a book instead
no i want to post sardonically on IQfy for attention
>If so, why?
It's a shirking of responsibility, even over oneself- a false one, because the ability remains- to arrive at some significant conclusion, and then live as if nothing happened.
>life bad
>therefore death good
Non sequitur.
>Non sequitur
Plebbitard’s first babby ~~*logical fallacy*~~
Cioran absolutely exalted nothingness, which he opposed to life lol
Are you assuming death = nothingness here? How do you know?
It's irrelevant. It only makes it worse. Of course, the ultimate aim is unachievable, so one is totally excused from anything and everything.
I didn't realize the guy from Eraserhead was an author.
It do be like that sometimes
I loved him in Eraserhead!
has literally nobody here even read cioran
I've read (in translation) all his main stuff from the French period, and the two available Romanian books. Made a project of it starting about 18 months ago.
What’s your favourite?
Probably A Short History of Decay (his French debut), it's the one in the bunch that I'm seriously considering re-reading at some point. Also Trouble with Being Born is a bit over-rated on account of the marketable title (Barnes and Noble are literally stocking it on the shelves now purely because of us).
It's the one he poured his little black heart and soul into. He rewrote it multiple times and wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect before he would allow it to be published. His plan worked. The frogs liked it right way, he actually accepted the prize they gave him (he usually didn't do that), and it established his reputation. The rest, he just does his usual thing of whining about life.
A personal favorite essay is Odyssy of Rancor (which is a sustained, withering screed which can be summed up as follows: hatred is stronger than love, it made such an impression on me that I re-read it almost immediately), but the other surrounding stuff in History and Utopia isn't his top-drawer stuff. Anathemas and Admirations (a mash-up of his last two books) also has above-average aphorisms and, usefully, his personal reflections on various French literary figures.
Reading him chronologically was an interesting project. When you pay attention you see how he repeats himself a lot. In the 60s-70s he actually seems to get angrier for a time and has teenage-tier edgy lines about fantasizing about killing people/caving random people's heads in, opposite to what usually happens with old men who mellow out as their T goes down.
Interesting , I’ll read a short history of decay next I think. He said on the heights of despair had no style and was a poor book. Funnily enough I prefer it to the trouble with being born so far. Wonder why he accepted the prize for that one
Heights of Despair is perfectly fine and actually quite good for something written in one's early 20s, he just has an older man's disdain for what his younger self put out. A piece that I like from that one is his bewilderment at how everyone keeps busy and manages to do normal things. He then fantasizes that everyone just stops what they're doing, everyone just empties out onto the streets, stares blankly into the sky and some big maelstrom sweeps everything away.
The major theme in that one is to catalogue negative emotions and distinguish them from each other: differences between sadness and melancholy, momentary pain doesn't count as suffering because the only true suffering is long-lasting, etc,
Yeah i like heights of despair a lot. Does repeat himself in some aspects but as you said 22 when he wrote it.
God had to give him enough time to change his mind
I didn't realize the lindyman replyguy was an author
I only like his aphorisms.
What was the context behind the ‘Don’t tell anyone I actually love life’ quote.
>"Every day is a Rubicon I want to drown myself in"
He's fricking funny tbh
He is im convinced he’s just at it
>write a book called no kids
>has two kids
why are israelites like this bros
she literally wrote an anti-work book called hello laziness while being a multimillionaire bestselling author herself.