Popular European Philosophical Books
Find philosophical books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (109)
1.
A Country Doctor : Short Stories by Franz Kafka EN
Country: Europe / 
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Description:
Written during the winter of 1916-17 when Kafka was living in one of the tiny houses on Golden Lane (formerly Alchimistengasse) at Prague Castle, and published in spring 1920 by Kurt Wolff Verlag, the 14 short fictions comprising this volume are interconnected by a persistent exploration of identity, where even animals anthropomorphize into a new identity. "Before the Law," "A Country Doctor," and "A Report for an Academy" are among the most renowned stories he produced, and Kevin Blahut has rendered them in an English that is contemporary and fresh, capturing per... continue
2.
A Discourse on Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau EN
Country: Europe / 
Switzerland
Switzerland
Description:
The searing indictment of man-made inequality in all its many forms that Rousseau offers in Discourse on Inequality is a must-read for philosophy buffs and supporters of social justice. This artfully composed argument sets forth the core elements of Rousseau's philosophical views, including his unique take on Hobbes' concept of nature and natural law.
3.
A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai EN
HungaryDescription:
A quiet, poetic, and exquisitely gorgeous novel describing a wandering mythic figure in a Kyoto monastery, by the 2019 National Book Award winner
4.
Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans EN
FranceDescription:
Against Nature is Huysmans's great fin-de-siècle novel anticipating many of the strains of modernism in its appreciation of Baudelaire, Moreau, Redon, Mallarmé and Poe. This new translation is supplemented by a critically up-to-date introduction and indispensable notes which enhance the understanding of a highly allusive work.
5.
SloveniaDescription:
Alamut takes place in 11th Century Persia, in the fortress of Alamut, where self-proclaimed prophet Hasan ibn Sabbah is setting up his mad but brilliant plan to rule the region with a handful of elite fighters who are to become his "living daggers." By creating a virtual paradise at Alamut, filled with beautiful women, lush gardens, wine and hashish, Sabbah is able to convince his young fighters that they can reach paradise if they follow his commands. With parallels to Osama bin Laden, Alamut tells the story of how Sabbah was able to instill fear into the ruling class by creating a small army... continue
Greece7.
SwedenDescription:
Barabbas is the acquitted; the man whose life was exchanged for that of Jesus of Nazareth, crucified upon the hill of Golgotha. Barabbas is a man condemned to have no god. "Christos Iesus" is carved on the disk suspended from his neck, but he cannot affirm his faith. He cannot pray. He can only say, "I want to believe." Translated from the Swedish by Alan Blair
8.
Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon EN
Description:
Fanon, born in Martinique and educated in France, is generally regarded as the leading anti-colonial thinker of the 20th century. His first book is an analysis of the impact of colonial subjugation on the black psyche. It is a very personal account of Fanon's experience being black: as a man, an intellectual, and a party to a French education.--Adapted from wikipedia.org.
9.
Crime and Punishment : A Novel in Six Parts with Epilogue by Fyodor Dostoyevsky EN
RussiaDescription:
Hailed by Washington Post Book World as “the best [translation] currently available" when it was first published, this second edition has been updated in honor of the 200th anniversary of Dostoevsky’s birth. With the same suppleness, energy, and range of voices that won their translation of The Brothers Karamazov the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Prize, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky offer a brilliant translation of Dostoevsky's astounding pyschological thriller, newly revised for his bicentenniel. When Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in the St. Petersburg of the tsars, commit... continue
10.
Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde DE
IrelandDescription:
Das Leben des Dorian Gray ist mehr als die Biographie eines Einzelwesens, es ist die Geschichte einer ganzen verderbten Gesellschaft, die ihr höchstes Ziel im Genuss sucht, die fühlt, dass sie dem Verfall preisgegeben ist und gewissermaßen im Todeskampf die üppigsten Blüten der Gefallsucht und eines übertriebenen Protzentums treibt.