Jumia Books The Trouble With Being Born by E. M. Cioran Translated by Richard Howard

The Trouble With Being Born by E. M. Cioran is a stark, lyrical, and uncompromising reflection on the human condition. In this collection of aphorisms and philosophical fragments, Cioran confronts the existential weight of being alive, exploring themes of futility, alienation, and the unbearable burden of consciousness.

Written with poetic precision and translated by Richard Howard, the book captures Cioran’s signature style: terse, provocative, and deeply introspective. Each passage is a distilled insight into the paradoxes of life, death, memory, and identity. Cioran does not offer solutions or solace—he offers clarity through confrontation, stripping away illusions to reveal the raw contours of existence.

Highlights include:

Meditations on birth as a cosmic error

The tension between lucidity and madness

The emptiness of progress and historical meaning

The seductive pull of nihilism and detachment

The beauty of silence and the futility of language

With a foreword by Eugene Thacker, this edition situates Cioran’s work within contemporary philosophical discourse, especially in relation to existentialism, absurdism, and postmodern thought. It’s a book for readers who seek not comfort, but truth—however unsettling.

Ideal for philosophers, poets, and seekers of radical honesty, The Trouble With Being Born is a timeless work that continues to resonate with those who dare to question the value of existence itself.