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This is the book I have read more times than any other. I don’t think any other (human) writer has ever reached the spiritual heights that Blanchot achieved in this book. His work has been a beacon to me ever since I discovered it in college. Most of the people I’ve recommended this book to did NOT love it, but those that did became lifelong fanatics. It’s abstruse and almost every sentence is a mind-fuck, but I would argue that Blanchot is the greatest writer ever.
Aug 31, 2021
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my favorite book
existential.
its a little slow in the beginning but stick with it, it gets wild.
leaves a lot to think about
can be depressing if u internalize it too much
Jan 4, 2025
Not only is it a short book but it is made by a great philosopher. Albert Camus is a legendary absurdist philosopher and I loved reading this narrative book. I would recommend checking out more of his philosophical ideas rather than just this book but do what you want. He has written other books that I heard was good but I haven’t read them yet.
Mar 27, 2025
I know I am technically late to this book but I just finished it and it has fundamentally changed me forever. Maybe its because I am an academic, or because I often introduce myself as the speaker of 2 and a half languages but it hit hard. It is vivid and spectacular and grief inducing and devastating. It has so much heart, so much love, yet so much despair. The attention to detail regarding history and conflicting philosophies, politics, religious beliefs and belief systems is so carefully and precisely constructed, it is in and of itself poetry. It's so vivid that I can taste it, I can feel the texture of the pages, different passages are rattling around my brain and I can remember where I read them, I am a different person from before I read this book. After the reading slump I was in, it feels like all along I was waiting to find this book, I didn't know I was missing it, or waiting for it and yet when I read it it is like all at once I suddenly knew that I had needed this book all along. Read it, if you are one of those people that gets skeptical of things that reach a certain level of popularity, just know that all the hype in the world has undersold this book. It is that good. And yes, I attached a low light photo of my copy because I have reread chapters of this so often that the pages are curling, fished it out of my backpack when I found random spots to sit or stand idly, accidentally smudged it when I immediately reached for it after writing sprawling pages in my notebooks. You see how my earphones aren't connected to anything because all I am thinking about is this book? Yeah exactly! This is a good fucking book I am so serious you guys if you have held off on reading it, bump it up your list.
Jan 9, 2025
Top Recs from @caveh-zahedi
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This is inarguably the most difficult (and formally radical) book ever written and most people can’t make heads or tails of it but if you just start reading and don’t stop and let the words wash over you, its strange poetry starts to speak to you. Joyce invented a new language of neologisms and portmanteau words that were puns in multiple languages at once. He went as far with the English language as anyone can go and he attains heights of poetry, subtlety, and complexity that have never been surpassed. I’ve been reading it for 40 years and have only just scratched its surface but it has been an immensely rewarding experience.
Aug 31, 2021
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Tarkovsky is arguably the greatest filmmaker of all time and, for me, Andrei Roublev is his greatest film. Every single shot in this film is a masterpiece - every frame, every camera move, every chiaroscuro effect. It tells the story of one of Russia’s greatest religious icon painters, but in such a ramshackle way that it becomes an allegory of the creative process and what it means to be an artist. The film surprises at every turn – not a single moment is predictable. The final scene is one of the greatest endings in all of cinema, right up there with the end of Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and the end of Robert Bresson’s The Devil Probably.
Aug 31, 2021
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I discovered this book over 30 years ago when I was having trouble forgiving a friend for something which, in hindsight, wasn’t that big a deal. But my unforgiveness was killing me and making me into an unbearable person. It’s a channeled book, and claims to be channeled by the historical Jesus. I know that sounds kooky, but it is the single most life-changing book that I have ever read. It completely changed my way of thinking not only about forgiveness but also about reality and the meaning of life. I have never read a book with a voice this absolutely authoritative and egoless at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Aug 31, 2021