6 essential books on existentialist philosophy - Big Think

Reading for the Conflicted: 11 Existential Classics

50 Most Popular Books on Existentialism – BooksIcon.com

The story revolves around a young resident of Algiers, who embarks on a journey to Marengo following the news of his mother's passing. He converses with the director of the elderly home where his mother had been residing, only to discover her body already confined to the coffin. He spends the night beside her, joined by a chatty custodian who proves to be a bit of a nuisance. The following day, a funeral procession ensues, during which an elderly man named Thomas Perez, who had grown fond of his mother, faints from the heat. Upon his return to Algiers that night, the protagonist heads to the beach to swim, where he crosses paths with his old colleague, Marie Cardona. They subsequently decide to watch a comedy film and spend the night together. 

On the following workweek, he crosses paths with Salamano, an elderly man with a sickly dog who resides in the same building, and his neighbor Raymond Sintes, who is believed to be involved in illicit activities. Raymond invites him over for dinner and shares his intention of taking revenge on his unfaithful mistress, asking for the protagonist's help in writing a letter to trick her. Later, Marie visits and questions the protagonist about his feelings towards her, which she was met with indifference. In the midst of their conversation, they hear a commotion from Raymond's apartment, who had been confronted by the police due to his violent actions towards his mistress. The protagonist agrees to testify for Raymond's defense. 

The subsequent events see the protagonist embroiled in a murder case after he shoots his neighbor's girlfriend's brother without any clear reason. This lands him in jail, where his lawyer is taken aback by his evident lack of regret for his actions and his apparent apathy towards his mother's death. Over time, the protagonist adapts to his life in prison, managing to keep his mind occupied and sleeping most of the day. His trial unfolds in a courtroom filled with spectators and press members, who focus less on the murder and more on his character and his reaction to his mother's death. The protagonist is ultimately convicted and sentenced to death. As he awaits his execution, he struggles to come to terms with his fate. Despite a visit from a chaplain who urges him to turn to God, the protagonist vehemently rejects the notion and embraces the idea of life being void of any greater meaning. This acceptance brings him a sense of happiness.

The Stranger

El Extranjero

One bright morning, a determined and sophisticated young banker named Joseph K. is unexpectedly arrested by two officers, despite not being guilty of any crime. His arrest coincides with his thirtieth birthday. Exactly a year later, on his thirty-first birthday, the two officers return to collect Joseph K. and escort him to a quarry located on the outskirts of the town where they execute him in the name of the Law. He does not resist.

The narrative of this story centers around the year-long ordeal of Joseph K.'s case, detailing his battles and interactions with the elusive Law and the inaccessible Court. It essentially, narrates a tale of self-destruction incited by the state. However, like all of this author's best works, the "meaning" of the story is quite ambiguous. The allegory discussed by the priest in Chapter Nine elicits countless interpretations from scholars of the Law, much like this novel has become a fundamental piece for critical interpretation in the twentieth century. It’s noted by certain scholars for having elements of absolute truth, making it an unresolvable narrative that can be interpreted differently by every reader.

To summarize this type of narrative is quite challenging as it was written during 1914-1915, at a time when the author was an official in the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. It satirically criticizes the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy of that time. However, to several readers, it seems to eerily foretell the psychological tactics utilized by more sinister totalitarians of the future, and the legal death machines that the author never lived to witness. This novel is incomplete and that becomes apparent in the final chapters. It can be as oppressive to read as the claustrophobic courtrooms it depicts. The German title, Der Prozess, translates to both a "trial" and a "process," and it is this agonizing sense of inescapability that leaves a lasting visceral impression: the machinery is in motion, and the process will ceaselessly grind towards its conclusion, regardless of our most desperate pleas.

The Trial

El Proceso

Existentialism Reading List – The Best 9 Books to Read | Philosophy Break

A Fragment of Life

Un Fragmento de Vida

Either/Or

O Esto/O Aquello

Being and Nothingness

El ser y la nada

The Best Books on Existentialism - Five Books Expert Recommendations

Antoine Roquentin, a resident historian in the French town of Bouville, commences a journal in an attempt to comprehend the unnerving and sickly feelings that have haunted him lately. He is unclear about the nature of his affliction and contemplates the necessity of the diary itself. However, he soon finds himself consumed by what he coins as Nausea, prompting him to meticulously record every minor fact, sensation, and interaction, both internal and external. He attempts to interact with mundane objects - holding a stone, inspecting a beer glass, trying to touch a damp scrap of paper - each experience intensifies his sensation of an ominous and smothering presence.

For a decade, Roquentin has been deeply immersed in investigating the life of the Marquis de Rollebon, a French nobleman who lived during the French Revolution. Roquentin relocated to Bouville, Rollebon’s hometown, to facilitate his research and write a book on him. Yet, his feelings of Nausea invade his research, blurring his own identity with Rollebon’s whenever he catches his reflection. His interest in his work wanes due to the realization that he will never truly comprehend Rollebon. He feels suffocated by his obsession with the past and decides to focus on living in the present.

Roquentin soon realizes that his Nausea is linked to existential concerns. He acknowledges that he allowed his research into Rollebon and his obsession with the past to validate his own existence. Roquentin boldly affirms his existence, believing that others are too fearful to acknowledge their own. His attention is drawn to the existence of objects and people, leading to the insight that existence precedes essence. He grasps that his perception of the physical attributes of things, the essence, obscures the naked existence of those things: that the pleasant illusions of tastes, colors, and appearances are creations of the observer. This revelation brings him face to face with the stark existence of things, thus revealing the source of his Nausea.

Upon visiting his former lover Anny in Paris, Roquentin is disheartened to find they can no longer communicate effectively. Despite his attempts to explain his feelings of Nausea to Anny, she fails to comprehend. They part ways, aware that they will never see each other again. Back in Bouville, Roquentin decides to liberate himself from the past by embracing his existence in the present. He tries to convey his newfound perspective to a café acquaintance, the Self-Taught Man, but is unable to convince him that human love is merely an essence, that existence has no purpose beyond "nothingness." In spite of his despair and his decision to abandon his research, Roquentin elects to move to Paris and write a novel.

Nausea

Náusea

Man's Search for Meaning

La búsqueda de sentido del hombre

The protagonist, who asserts that he is unseen by others, lives in seclusion, pilfering electricity to fuel his solitary existence beneath the city, where he recounts his life. As a gifted speaker in his youth, he is humiliated by influential white men in his town when he's asked to participate in a brutal spectacle before being awarded a scholarship to a highly esteemed Black college.

While studying in college, the protagonist comes into conflict with Mr. Norton, a white benefactor of the institution, and the college president, Dr. Bledsoe, which leads to his expulsion. After his expulsion, he travels to Harlem in the 1930s in search of employment, where he is met with deception and betrayal. He gains work at a paint factory, but following a disagreement and subsequent accident, he ends up in a hospital where he undergoes electro-shock treatment.

Revitalized, the protagonist becomes involved in the Brotherhood, a political organization claiming to champion the oppressed. However, the organization's true intentions and manipulations soon come to light. The protagonist witnesses racial tension escalate in Harlem, leading to a riot. Attempting to flee from the chaos, he falls into a manhole, where he decides to stay hidden. The protagonist concludes his tale by acknowledging the importance of staying true to oneself while acknowledging his responsibilities towards his community, signaling his readiness to come out of hiding.

Invisible Man

El Hombre Invisible

The story revolves around a solitary, embittered man residing in St. Petersburg, Russia during the 1860s, a retired civil servant due to an inherited fortune. The narrative unfolds through his "notes," a jumbled and often contradictory set of memoirs or confessions outlining his estrangement from modern society. The story is split into two parts. The first, "Underground," is brief and set in the 1860s, when the protagonist is forty. This section serves as an introduction to the character's persona, clarifying his contrarian stance towards society.

From the onset, the character identifies himself as a "sick, wicked, and unattractive man," whose intense self-contempt and bitterness have distorted him. Despite being well-read and highly intellectual, he attributes his wretchedness to these traits. He insists that all knowledgeable and conscious individuals should share his misery in contemporary society, having grown disenchanted with all forms of philosophy. He admires the romantic notion of "the sublime and lofty," yet recognizes its ridiculousness in his limited, mundane life. He holds deep scorn for 19th-century utilitarianism, a philosophical movement that sought to align man's desires with his best interests through mathematical formulas and logical proofs. He argues that humanity's primary desire is to exert free will, even when it contradicts their best interests. This explains his claim of deriving pleasure from his own physical ailments, a form of rebellion against the predictability of modern society.

The second segment of the story, "Apropos of the Wet Snow," illustrates specific events from the protagonist's life during the 1840s when he was twenty-four. It serves as a practical demonstration of the abstract notions established in the first section. This part portrays the narrator's evolution from his youthful outlook, swayed by romanticism and ideals of "the sublime and lofty," to his mature perspective in 1860, which is purely cynical. This segment details his interactions with the various individuals in his life: soldiers, former classmates, and sex workers. His estrangement from society is so profound that he's incapable of normal interactions. His treatment of others oscillates between revulsion and apprehension, leading to his own humiliation and subsequent self-loathing. The story ends with the character's decision to cease his notes. However, a concluding footnote reveals that his notes extend for many pages beyond the chosen cutoff point, indicating his inability to follow through even with this simple decision.

Notes from Underground

Notas del Subsuelo

The crux of this narrative pertains to the notion of "the absurd", a profound contradiction between the universe's chaotic nature and our innate desire for coherence, order, and reason. In our quest for meaning, we are met with two alternatives: to either seek solace in a divine entity through faith or be consumed by the meaninglessness of existence. However, this narrative explores a third possibility: the acceptance and endurance of a world devoid of purpose or significance. It questions whether the absence of meaning in life automatically compels one towards self-destruction, and argues that if life truly had no worth, the only remaining paths would be religious faith or suicide.

This contradiction of the absurd is irresolvable, and any attempt at resolution is but a futile escape. Renowned scholars and philosophers like Kierkegaard, Chestov, Jaspers, and Husserl have grappled with this contradiction, yet they too seek respite from it. They perceive no cohesion or order in existence, hence seeking transcendence in this very chaos. In contrast, being one with the absurd requires constant confrontation of this underlying contradiction, allowing us to immerse in life more deeply rather than seeking an end to it. Embracing the absurd incorporates three tenets: revolt (refusing to accept any answer or resolution), freedom (absolute liberty of thought and action), and passion (an urge for vibrant and varied experiences).

The narrative further illustrates the concept of an absurd life through four archetypes: the seducer, who revels in the passions of the moment; the actor, who imbibes the passions of countless lives into their career; the rebel, whose energies are consumed by political battles; and the artist, who crafts entire worlds. Absurd art refrains from explaining experiences, choosing merely to depict them and offering a specific outlook on certain problems rather than generic themes. The narrative concludes with a depiction of Sisyphus, the absurd hero, doomed to endlessly push a boulder up a mountain only for it to roll back down. This eternal struggle is a metaphor for the human condition, suggesting that acceptance of this absurdity can indeed result in contentment. It ends with an examination of Franz Kafka's works, commending him for his masterful portrayal of the human condition's absurdity.

The Myth of Sisyphus

El Mito de Sísifo

The narrative commences with the protagonist, Zarathustra, emerging from his ten-year solitude in a mountain cave. Overflowing with wisdom and love, he sets forth to enlighten mankind about the concept of the overman. Upon reaching the town of the Motley Cow, Zarathustra decrees that the overman, someone who is free from societal prejudices and moralities, who creates their own values and purposes, should be the earth's true significance. He perceives mankind as merely a transient state between beast and overman that must be transcended.

Zarathustra's teachings, however, are largely misunderstood and disregarded by the townsfolk, with the exception of a dying tightrope walker. Disappointed by his failure to sway the people, Zarathustra decides to cater his teachings to those who wish to sever themselves from the collective mindset. The narrative then delves into the teachings Zarathustra imparts: symbol-laden lessons embodying Nietzsche's later philosophy. He emphasizes the value of strife and sacrifice, as the path towards the overman is steep and arduous, often symbolized by mountain climbing. The overman's unburdened, free spirit is frequently portrayed through joy and dance.

Zarathustra criticizes mass movements and the masses, targeting Christianity for its body and earth disdain, and its propensity to escape reality by focusing on spirituality and the afterlife. He also condemns nationalism and mass politics as escapism for the weary and weak. Zarathustra concludes his teachings with the eternal recurrence doctrine, asserting that all events will infinitely repeat. This doctrine can only be accepted by the overman, who has the strength to take responsibility for his life and wishes for eternal repetition of each moment. Zarathustra struggles with this concept, troubled by the notion of the masses' mediocrity repeating endlessly. In the final part, Zarathustra hosts a gathering of men who come close to, but not quite reach, the overman status. The narrative closes with Zarathustra joyously accepting the eternal recurrence, reveling in the notion that "all joy wants deep, wants deep eternity."

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Así habló Zaratustra

The Ethics of Ambiguity

La Ética de la Ambigüedad

From Dostoevsky to Sartre

De Dostoevsky a Sartre

Existentialism

Existencialismo

Being and Time

Ser y Tiempo

Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others

Libertad, Ser, y Cocteles de Albaricoque con Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty y otros

At the Existentialist Café

En el Café Existencialista

14 Best Existentialism Books of All Time

The Stranger

The Trial

Either/Or

A Fragment of Life

Being and Nothingness

Nausea

Man's Search for Meaning

Invisible Man

Notes from Underground

The Myth of Sisyphus

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The Ethics of Ambiguity

Existentialism

From Dostoevsky to Sartre

Being and Time

At the Existentialist Café

Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others

Sources

What To Read Next

14 Best Existentialism Books of All Time

The Stranger

The Trial

Either/Or

A Fragment of Life

Being and Nothingness

Nausea

Man's Search for Meaning

Invisible Man

Notes from Underground

The Myth of Sisyphus

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The Ethics of Ambiguity

Existentialism

From Dostoevsky to Sartre

Being and Time

At the Existentialist Café

Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others

Sources

What To Read Next

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