Introduction Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits was published by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1878 and represents a “monument of a crisis” for Nietzsche, a critical turning point in his life and thought. His long friendship with Richard Wagner had come to a halt. Moreover, Nietzsche’s bad health forced him to leave hisContinue reading “Book Review: Human, All Too Human – Nietzsche”
Category Archives: Book review
Book Review: Either/Or – Søren Kierkegaard
Either/Or: A Fragment of Life was published by Søren Kierkegaard in 1843, making it his first major work. The book was written under the pseudonym Victor Eremita “Victorious Hermit”. In the preface, Victor Eremita tells us that he has found two papers in an old desk. They express the viewpoints of two distinct figures withContinue reading “Book Review: Either/Or – Søren Kierkegaard”
Book Review: Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett
Waiting for Godot is a 1953 play by Samuel Beckett that has become one of the most important and enigmatic plays of the 20th century. The story revolves around two men waiting for someone – or something – named Godot. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, landscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpretedContinue reading “Book Review: Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett”
Book Review: The Dream of a Ridiculous Man – Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a short story published in 1877 by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The book is subtitled as “A Fantastic Story”, since it is essentially a tale of the imagination. According to Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is “practically a complete encyclopedia of Dostoevsky’s most important themes”.Continue reading “Book Review: The Dream of a Ridiculous Man – Fyodor Dostoevsky”
Book Review: Man and His Symbols – Carl Jung
Man and His Symbols is the last work undertaken by Carl Jung before his death in 1961. He had never tried to popularise his work and refused several attempts by his colleagues to persuade him to do so. At this moment he had a dream. Instead of talking to the great scholars, he was directingContinue reading “Book Review: Man and His Symbols – Carl Jung”
Book Review: Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, originally titled “A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp” was released in German in 1946, becoming one of the most influential books in the United States, having sold over 10 million copies at the time of Frankl’s death in 1997, and continues to this day to inspire many to findContinue reading “Book Review: Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl”
Book Review: No Exit – Jean Paul Sartre
No Exit is one of Jean Paul Sartre’s most interesting existentialist short stories. It is a one-act play that was widely praised when it was first performed in 1944, shortly after the Liberation of France. The original title “Huis Clos” refers to a private discussion behind closed doors. It tells the story of three charactersContinue reading “Book Review: No Exit – Jean Paul Sartre”
Book Review: The Plague – Albert Camus
The Plague was published in 1947 and is widely considered as Albert Camus’s most successful novel. It tells the story of a plague epidemic in the Algerian coastal town of Oran, where thousands of rats are found dead all over the city. Camus’ absurdist philosophy is at the background of the novel. He stresses theContinue reading “Book Review: The Plague – Albert Camus”
Book Review: The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis is a book written by Franz Kafka published in 1915. It has been called one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a giant insect. In German, “ungeheuren Ungeziefer”, roughly “monstrous vermin”.Continue reading “Book Review: The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka”
Book Review: The Gay Science – Nietzsche
The Gay Science is one of Nietzsche’s most beautiful and important books. He describes it as “the most personal of all his books”. When inquired on why he chose this title to his book, he wrote in a letter: “As for the title ‘Gay Science’, I thought only of the gaya scienza of the troubadoursContinue reading “Book Review: The Gay Science – Nietzsche”