TEARS AND SAINTS by Cioran, E. M. (Translated by Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnston) - 1995

Chicago, IL: University Of Chicago Press, 1995. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/As New Dust Jacket.. Chicago, IL: University Of Chicago Press, 1995. Hardcover. As New/As New. First Edition/First Printing. 128 pages. Book-length account on subject. One of E. M. Cioran's earliest and finest achievements. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only by a University Press. The First Edition is now rare. Presents E. M. Cioran's "Lacrimi si sfinti" in a felicitous English translation. The philosopher's most valuable book in Romanian. "Inspired by Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good And Evil', Cioran searched for the origin of tears. He asked himself if saints could be the sources of our tears' better light" (Publisher's blurb) . The seeds of Cioran in his full maturity (in French) were all planted in this ground-breaking book, including his seductive, gnomic voice, which one imitates at one's peril. In one of the most unusual philosophical quests on Western mysticism, Cioran sought to understand the essence of sainthood: That is, how a human being, "only human", can nevertheless renounce being human, which is the basis of his subsequent philosophy. In the crowded and competitive field called Modernism, E. M. Cioran stands out: The singular voice of rationality and Reason, on the one hand, and the Nietzschean spokesman of profound, not just residual, attachment to mysticism and myth, Un-Reason, on the other. There is no contemporary pundit, politician, or thinker, every single one of them pedestrian, blind partisans, who can be favorably compared to Cioran. An absolute "must-have" title for E. M. Cioran collectors. <b><i> This title is a modern classic. This is one of few copies of the 1995 First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws (abusive highlighting, underlining, and writing on inside pages that every Cioran book is subjected to) or are subsequent editions, of which there are several. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. </b></i> One of the greatest writer-philosophers of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER E. M. CIORAN TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0226106721.