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The Temptation to Exist
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| List Price: | $17.50 |
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Product Description
"A sort of final philosopher of the Western world. His statements have the compression of poetry and the audacity of cosmic clowning."—Washington Post
"An intellectual bombshell that blasts away at all kinds of cant, sham and conventionality. . . . [Cioran's] language is so erotic, his handling of words so seductive, that the act of reading becomes an encounter in the erogenous zone."—Jonah Raskin, L.A. Weekly
E. M. Cioran (1911-1995) was born and educated in Romania and lived in Paris from 1937 until his death. He is the author of numerous works, including On the Heights of Despair, also available from the University of Chicago Press.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #224322 in Books
- Published on: 1998-07-20
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 224 pages
Customer Reviews
Cioran, Briefly
Cioran is quite an interesting character but this book is not for everyone and, in fact, not for very many. It is dense stuff that might be read, say, if you were imprisoned for a lenghty time with only one book. Read his aphorisms instead.
unveiling realms of awareness
a stunning exposition of the wondrous caverns of the human heart, soul and mind. Somehow, through unearthing the darkest regions of consciousness, this author managed to enrich and edify us. By tearing down constructs, and destroying myths, he freed us to experience the full range of awareness; and thereby attain higher degrees of joy.
This one serves as a great accompaniment to such mind bending works as: The Supreme Identity, by Alan Watts; Rebels and Devils, edited by Christopher S. Hyatt Ph.D.; and anything by Nietzsche.
Me review Cioran? Let him turn in his petit grave, le salop!
If you don't know who Cioran is... the only thing I could do is try to seduce you to be introduced to him through this book.. through Temptation. If you know who he is and are wondering which book of his to buy.. go no further! If you have read that awful, premature tome, "Heights of Despair".. toss it, forget it, and replace it with Temptation to Exist! If you have the slightest disciple of Zarathustra somewhere inside you, then I believe we understand each other.
This book is a powerhouse of essays. The only thing I can disagree with are Cioran's opinions, and even then I am merely naive. I have little right to criticize him otherwise: to give these ... singular essays, these pages fertile with cerebral energy, this relentless gnawing at obstructing myth... to give it a spit in the face with my insignificant Amazon.com review? Well it would be unfathomable insolence! If, on the other hand, I seem hopelessly reverent toward Cioran... well, ya got me.
This book isn't for casual reading while on the can or in the dentist's office waiting to get drilled. The Cartesian reference, cogito ergo sum, is here pressed in a book and displayed in bad taste with the "seductions of thinking"... but that's just a crumb of what you'll find.
