Popular European Philosophical Books
Find philosophical books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (173)
131.
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson EN
EnglandDescription:
Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, leaves the easy life of the Happy Valley, accompanied by his sister Nekayah, her attendant Pekuah, and the much-travelled philosopher Imlac. There journey takes them to Egypt, where they study the various conditions of men's lives, before returning home in a `conclusion in which nothing is concluded'. Johnson's tale is not only a satire on optimism, but also an expression of truth about the human mind and its infinite capacity for hope.
132.
The Little Book of Hygge : Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking EN
DenmarkDescription:
New York Times Bestseller Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge—pronounced Hoo-ga—is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe." Hygge is the sensation you g... continue
133.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry EN
FranceDescription:
The Little Prince and nbsp;(French: and nbsp;Le Petit Prince) is a and nbsp;novella and nbsp;by French aristocrat, writer, and aviator and nbsp;Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the US by and nbsp;Reynal and amp; Hitchcock and nbsp;in April 1943, and posthumously in France following the and nbsp;liberation of France and nbsp;as Saint-Exupéry's works had been banned by the and nbsp;Vichy Regime. The story follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its... continue
134.
The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk EN
PolandDescription:
A beautifully illustrated meditation on the fullness of life for readers of all ages by by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Olga Tokarczuk. "Olga Tokarczuk’s The Lost Soul, an experimental fable illustrated by Joanna Concejo and translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, resonates with our current moment. . . . What a striking, and lovely, material object it is." —New York Times "The Lost Soul, by Olga Tokarczuk and illustrator Joanna Concejo, is a quiet meditation on happiness, following a busy man who loses his soul. . . It pours a childlike sense of wonder into a once-upon-a-time tale that is already r... continue
135.
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann EN
GermanyDescription:
This is an intellectual drama of the forces which play upon modern man. Its theatre is a sanatorium in the Swiss mountains - a community organized with exclusive reference to ill-health.
136.
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton EN
Description:
G. K. Chesterton's surreal masterpiece is a psychological thriller that centers on seven anarchists in turn-of-the-century London who call themselves by the names of the days of the week. Chesterton explores the meanings of their disguised identities in what is a fascinating mystery and, ultimately, a spellbinding allegory. As Jonathan Lethem remarks in his Introduction, The real characters are the ideas. Chesterton's nutty agenda is really quite simple: to expose moral relativism and parlor nihilism for the devils he believes them to be. This wouldn't be interesting at all, though, if he didn... continue
137.
IcelandDescription:
Station Eleven and Leave the World Behind by way of The Memory Police, a debut novel of urgent big ideas imbued with pacy plotting and atmospheric power, by an exciting Icelandic literary talent.
138.
The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto Calasso EN
ItalyDescription:
Presenting the stories of Zeus and Europa, Theseus and Ariadne, the birth of Athens and the fall of Troy, in all their variants, Calasso also uncovers the distant origins of secrets and tragedy, virginity, and rape. "A perfect work like no other. (Calasso) has re-created . . . the morning of our world."--Gore Vidal. 15 engravings.
139.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco EN
Description:
In 1327, Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate charges of heresy against Franciscan monks at a wealthy Italian abbey but finds his mission overshadowed by seven bizarre murders.
140.
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Briggs by Rainer Maria Rilke EN
Country: Europe / 
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Description:
A masterly new translation of one of the first great modernist novels In the only novel by one of the German language's greatest poets, a young man named Malte Laurids Brigge lives in a cheap room in Paris while his belongings rot in storage. Every person he sees seems to carry their death with them, and with little but a library card to distinguish him from the city's untouchables, he thinks of the deaths, and ghosts, of his aristocratic family, of which he is the sole living descendant. Suffused with passages of lyrical brilliance, Rilke's semi-autobiographical novel is a moving and powerful... continue