La tentación de existir

In this key book by Cioran, readers will rediscover his ironic, serene and desperate voice. The author lucidly confronts uncritical pragmatism, and writes with a perplexed look about the West, the historical fate of "extreme" peoples like Spain or Russia, the meaning of exile for the writer, the task of creating, loneliness, madness and death. Although at first glance Cioran's nihilism seems stern and jaded, his energy and contradictions are deep, powerful, and highly thought-provoking.