Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Penguin (2010), 192 pages
Description
A Short History of Decay (1949) is E. M. Cioran's nihilistic and witty collection of aphoristic essays concerning the nature of civilization in mid 20th-century Europe. Touching upon man's need to worship, the feebleness of God, the downfall of the Ancient Greeks and the melancholy baseness of all existence, Cioran's pieces are pessimistic in the extreme, but also display a beautiful certainty that renders them delicate, vivid, and memorable. Illuminating and brutally honest, A Short History of Decay dissects man's decadence in a remarkable series of moving and beautiful pieces.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mkfs
Midway between Pessoa (for mindset) and Nietzsche (for method).
Very incisive. The first book in ages that had me reaching for a pen to note turns of phrase.
If you like Twilight of the Idols, The Book of Disquiet, and The Occult Technology of Power, you will greatly enjoy this.
Very incisive. The first book in ages that had me reaching for a pen to note turns of phrase.
If you like Twilight of the Idols, The Book of Disquiet, and The Occult Technology of Power, you will greatly enjoy this.
Subjects
Awards
PEN Translation Prize (Winner — 1976)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1949
Physical description
5.08 inches
ISBN
0141192720 / 9780141192727