All Gall is Divided: Gnomes and ApothegmsRomanian-born E.M. Cioran moved to Paris at the age of 26, remaining there nearly six decades until his death in 1995. He was called "a sort of final philosopher of the Western world" and "the last worthy disciple of Nietzsche"; the bleak aphorisms of All Gall Is Divided make a strong case for either appellation. "With every idea born in us," he declares early on, "something in us rots." Throughout the book, he addresses the futile attempts of man to impose meaning on a meaningless existence--"That there should be a reality hidden by appearances is, after all, quite possible; that language might render such a thing would be an absurd hope"--and nurses an ongoing fascination with the possibilities death holds for release from life's madness. (When the Dead Kennedys sang, "I look forward to death / This world brings me down," they might as well have been taking notes from Cioran.) Grim stuff, but presented in brilliant, crystalline form--particularly in the translation by Richard Howard, which retains Cioran's cold, detached viewpoint. |
Contents
Atrophy of Utterance | 1 |
The Swindler of the Abyss | 21 |
Time and Anemia | 41 |
Copyright | |
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able Abyss action afford already anxiety appear bear become begin believe blood Boredom born calls century certain Cioran's civilization Consider death defeats depression depths despair destiny disease doubts dream ecstasy endure eternity everything exhausting exist experience eyes failed failure faith fall fate fear feel French future GALL give History hope human ideas imagine imitate imposes Italy known lack lead least less light live longer matter meaning melancholy merely MICHIGAN mind moment murder nature never Nietzsche once one's oneself ourselves pain philosophy pity pleasure poetry possess problem produced reality reason refusal regard religion remain rest ruin saint secret seems sigh skepticism smile sought soul suffer suicide sure taste terrors thing thought tion truths turn understand universe utter vices victim virtues Void West wisdom wonder young