Anti-Metaphysical Diary. "Notebooks" by Emil M. Cioran: An Outline

Abstract

The authors discuss  Notebooks by Emil Cioran. The first part of the article is devoted to the literary aspects of Cioran’s essential writings – the notes are analyzed from an anthropological and genetic perspective in order to present their purpose and function in Cioran’s output. The second part discusses the philosophical aspects of  Notebooks. The authors – applying hermeneutics as a general method of interpreting philosophical texts – present Cioran’s philosophical intuitions as a literary strategy that allows him to include his own metaphysics in strictly autobiographical writings. However, the authors point to the limitations of this strategy and suggest reading Cioran’s Notebooks as a reflection on his own work that focuses on the theme of the inability to create.