A Short History of Decay -- E. M. Cioran, Paperback

Dissects Man's decadence in a remarkable series of moving and beautiful pieces. "To miss reading this book would be a deprivation."--Los Angeles Times

E. M. Cioran confronts the place of today's world in the context of human history--focusing on such major issues of the twentieth century as human progress, fanaticism, and science--in this nihilistic and witty collection of aphoristic essays concerning the nature of civilization in mid-twentieth-century Europe. Table of Contents:
  • Foreword
  • Directions for Decomposition
  • The Second-Hand Thinker
  • Faces of Decadence
  • Sanctity and the Grimaces of the Absolute
  • The Décor of Knowledge
  • Abdications
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,

"When A Short History of Decay was published, it tended to polarize readers. Many dismissed it as overly morose and pessimistic, completely out of tune with the obligatory optimism of postwar European culture. Others praised it for precisely these reasons (in his review of the book, Maurice Nadeau proclaimed Cioran 'the one whose arrival has been prepared by all the philosophers of the void and of the absurd, harbinger of bad news par excellence'). The original impact of Cioran's book can still be felt in reading A Short History of Decay today."--Eugene Thacker, from his Foreword

Author: E. M. Cioran
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Published: 11/13/2012
Pages: 200
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.53 lbs
Size: 8.1" H x 5.4" L x 0.7" W
ISBN: 9781611457360

Check these out

Heated Rivalry: Now Streaming on Crave and HBO Max -- Rachel Reid, Paperback HEATED RIVALRY: NOW STREAMING ON CRAVE AND HBO MAX -- RACHEL REID, PAPERBACK

$18.99 USD

The Long Game: Now Streaming on Crave and HBO Max -- Rachel Reid, Paperback THE LONG GAME: NOW STREAMING ON CRAVE AND HBO MAX -- RACHEL REID, PAPERBACK

$18.99 USD

The Prophet: Annotated Edition with Illustrations -- Kahlil Gibran, Paperback THE PROPHET: ANNOTATED EDITION WITH ILLUSTRATIONS -- KAHLIL GIBRAN, PAPERBACK

$11.00 USD

Geneva Bible 1560 Edition with Apocrypha: [LARGE PRINT] A Detailed Exploration of the Geneva Bible's Texts, Annotations, Historical Context, and Lasti -- Reformed Christians, Paperback GENEVA BIBLE 1560 EDITION WITH APOCRYPHA: [LARGE PRINT] A DETAILED EXPLORATION OF THE GENEVA BIBLE'S TEXTS, ANNOTATIONS, HISTORICAL CONTEXT, AND LASTI -- REFORMED CHRISTIANS, PAPERBACK

$19.99 USD

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms -- George R. R. Martin, Paperback A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS -- GEORGE R. R. MARTIN, PAPERBACK

$20.00 USD

Best of Childrenâ (Tm)S Classics (Set of 5 Books): Perfect Gift Set for Kids -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Mixed Media Product BEST OF CHILDRENÂ (TM)S CLASSICS (SET OF 5 BOOKS): PERFECT GIFT SET FOR KIDS -- ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, MIXED MEDIA PRODUCT

$24.99 USD

The Tale of Peter Rabbit: A Story Board Book -- Beatrix Potter, Board Books THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT: A STORY BOARD BOOK -- BEATRIX POTTER, BOARD BOOKS

$7.99 USD

Wuthering Heights -- Emily Brontë, Mass Market Paperback WUTHERING HEIGHTS -- EMILY BRONTË, MASS MARKET PAPERBACK

$6.95 USD

The Baron Trump Collection: Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and his Wonderful Dog Bulger, Baron Trump's Marvelous Underground Journey, Th -- Lockwood Ingersoll, Paperback THE BARON TRUMP COLLECTION: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LITTLE BARON TRUMP AND HIS WONDERFUL DOG BULGER, BARON TRUMP'S MARVELOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY, TH -- LOCKWOOD INGERSOLL, PAPERBACK

$21.31 USD

The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have (20th Anniversary Edition) -- Mark Nepo, Paperback THE BOOK OF AWAKENING: HAVING THE LIFE YOU WANT BY BEING PRESENT TO THE LIFE YOU HAVE (20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) -- MARK NEPO, PAPERBACK

$21.95 USD

Always Mine: A Firefighter Small-Town Friends-To-Lovers Romance -- Laura Pavlov, Paperback ALWAYS MINE: A FIREFIGHTER SMALL-TOWN FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS ROMANCE -- LAURA PAVLOV, PAPERBACK

$17.99 USD

Richard Scarry's the Country Mouse and the City Mouse -- Patsy Scarry, Hardcover RICHARD SCARRY'S THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE CITY MOUSE -- PATSY SCARRY, HARDCOVER

$5.99 USD

My Oxford Year -- Julia Whelan, Paperback MY OXFORD YEAR -- JULIA WHELAN, PAPERBACK

$21.32 USD

The 23rd Midnight: A Women's Murder Club Thriller -- James Patterson, Mass Market Paperback THE 23RD MIDNIGHT: A WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB THRILLER -- JAMES PATTERSON, MASS MARKET PAPERBACK

$10.99 USD

UFO Cow Abduction: Beam Up Your Bovine (with Light and Sound!) [With Battery] -- Matt Smiriglio, Paperback UFO COW ABDUCTION: BEAM UP YOUR BOVINE (WITH LIGHT AND SOUND!) [WITH BATTERY] -- MATT SMIRIGLIO, PAPERBACK

$18.95 USD

Siddhartha -- Hermann Hesse, Mass Market Paperback SIDDHARTHA -- HERMANN HESSE, MASS MARKET PAPERBACK

$8.99 USD

Beneath a Scarlet Sky -- Mark Sullivan, Paperback BENEATH A SCARLET SKY -- MARK SULLIVAN, PAPERBACK

$14.95 USD

The Last President or 1900 -- Ingersoll Lockwood, Paperback THE LAST PRESIDENT OR 1900 -- INGERSOLL LOCKWOOD, PAPERBACK

$9.32 USD

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West -- Cormac McCarthy, Paperback BLOOD MERIDIAN: OR THE EVENING REDNESS IN THE WEST -- CORMAC MCCARTHY, PAPERBACK

$20.00 USD

Project Hail Mary -- Andy Weir, Paperback PROJECT HAIL MARY -- ANDY WEIR, PAPERBACK

$22.00 USD

Remarkably Bright Creatures [Movie Tie-In] -- Shelby Van Pelt, Paperback REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES [MOVIE TIE-IN] -- SHELBY VAN PELT, PAPERBACK

$19.99 USD

Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs -- Sally Mann, Paperback HOLD STILL: A MEMOIR WITH PHOTOGRAPHS -- SALLY MANN, PAPERBACK

$24.99 USD

As a Man Thinketh -- James Allen, Paperback AS A MAN THINKETH -- JAMES ALLEN, PAPERBACK

$6.65 USD

The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions -- Jonathan Rosen, Paperback THE BEST MINDS: A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, MADNESS, AND THE TRAGEDY OF GOOD INTENTIONS -- JONATHAN ROSEN, PAPERBACK

$20.00 USD

This Wild and Precious Life: A Journal -- Mary Oliver, Paperback THIS WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE: A JOURNAL -- MARY OLIVER, PAPERBACK

$19.99 USD