A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY

"A Short History of Decay (1949)" is E. M. Cioran's nihilistic and wittycollection of aphoristic essays concerning the nature of civilization inmid-twentieth-century Europe. Touching upon Man's need to worship, thefeebleness of God, the downfall of the Ancient Greeks and the melancholybaseness 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, "A Short History of Decay"dissects Man's decadence in a remarkable series of moving and beautifulpieces.