Popular European Essay Books
Find essay books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (50)
41.
The Culture of Lies by Dubravka Ugrešić EN
CroatiaDescription:
A funny and cynical collection of essays, apercus and sketches denouncing the perversions of political and cultural life in Croatia. The Culture of Lies was written as a reaction to the collapse of Yugoslavia and the unholy war in Croatia and Bosnia. The collection attacks and attempts to understand events in the former Yugoslavia: aggression against people's own brothers, artificial amnesties; adoption of nationalist fascist ideologies; propaganda and censorship; folklore kitsch as a culture of a lie; writers and intellectuals caught up in the Maelstrom of Nationalism. Ugresic's ascerbic and ... continue
42.
The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg EN
ItalyDescription:
"As far as the education of children is concerned," states Natalia Ginzburg in this collection of her finest and best-known short essays, "I think they should be taught not the little virtues but the great ones. Not thrift but generosity and an indifference to money; not caution but courage and a contempt for danger; not shrewdness but frankness and a love of truth; not tact but a love of one's neighbor and self-denial; not a desire for success but a desire to be and to know."
43.
Timepieces by Drusilla Modjeska EN
EnglandDescription:
'There used to be a tradition that when a cabinet-maker finished his apprenticeship, he'd make a miniature chest, or cabinet, as a gift for his master... Unlike cabinet-makers, writers rarely have a single teacher, and when they bow to those they've learned from, it'd be no tribute to make a perfect example of their work, even if it were possible.'The desire to write. The art of memoir. Finding a place to write. First love. The Englishness problem. A love of art. Fiction today...With her customary elegance and deftness, Drusilla Modjeska explores these issues and more in a liberating new colle... continue
Bulgaria45.
SloveniaDescription:
Philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Zizek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in the world.
46.
Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich EN
BelarusDescription:
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature A journalist by trade, who now suffers from an immune deficiency developed while researching this book, presents personal accounts of what happened to the people of Belarus after the nuclear reactor accident in 1986, and the fear, anger, and uncertainty that they still live with. On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Jour... continue
47.
Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich EN
UkraineDescription:
Winner of the Nobel Prize in LiteratureWinner of the National Book Critics Circle AwardA journalist by trade, who now suffers from an immune deficiency developed while researching this book, presents personal accounts of what happened to the people of Belarus after the nuclear reactor accident in 1986, and the fear, anger, and uncertainty that they still live with. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015 was awarded to Svetlana Alexievich "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time."
48.
Who Killed My Father by Édouard Louis EN
FranceDescription:
Who Killed My Father is the story of a tough guy - the story of the little boy I never was. The story of my father. 'What a beautiful book' MAX PORTER In Who Killed My Father, douard Louis explores key moments in his father's life, and the tenderness and disconnects in their relationship. Told with the fire of a writer determined on social justice, and with the compassion of a loving son, the book urgently and brilliantly engages with issues surrounding masculinity, class, homophobia, shame and social poverty. It unflinchingly takes aim at systems that disadvantage those they seek to exclude -... continue
49.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge EN
Description:
'Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can't afford to stay silent. This book is an attempt to speak' *Updated edition featuring a new afterword* The book that sparked a national conversation. Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today. THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION NARRATIVE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK O... continue
50.
Žižek's Jokes : (Did You Hear the One about Hegel and Negation?) by Slavoj Žižek EN
Description:
Žižek as comedian: jokes in the service of philosophy. “A serious and good philosophical work could be written consisting entirely of jokes.”—Ludwig Wittgenstein The good news is that this book offers an entertaining but enlightening compilation of Žižekisms. Unlike any other book by Slavoj Žižek, this compact arrangement of jokes culled from his writings provides an index to certain philosophical, political, and sexual themes that preoccupy him. Žižek's Jokes contains the set-ups and punch lines—as well as the offenses and insults—that Žižek is famous for, all in less than 200 pages. So what'... continue