The Tragic Sense of Life in Men and Nations [Paperback]

Miguel de Unamuno (Author), Martin Nozick (Editor), Anthony Kerrigan (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Selected Works of Miguel de Unamuno | Publication Date: June 1, 1978

The acknowledged masterpiece of Unamuno expresses the anguish of modern man as he is caught up in the struggle between the dictates of reason and the demands of his own heart.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (June 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691018200
• ISBN-13: 978-0691018201
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern ethics---Felix Culpa!!, May 6, 2004

By 

Bo K. (California!!!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragic Sense of Life in Men and Nations (Paperback)

As a disclaimer, I must say this is probably my favorite book of all time, so once I start explaining it, I frequently tend to effusion. In the simplest terms, it is a book written by a man who wants to understand why he lives and why he dies. Miguel de Unamuno was a spanish philosopher and novelist, a part of the "generation of 1898," along with Ortega y Gasset and Pio Baroja among others. They are part of the Spanish Romantic movement and their main quest in their writings is for a sense of the individual as a representative of the universal.
Unamuno in particular and in this book attempts to reconcile Christianity with Classicism, and does so through the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza(of course). These two for Unamuno are symbols of human striving both for noble purpose, outside of one's own self (christianity) yet also for an almost pagan "immortality" through heroic reputation (classicism). Unamuno wants to live nobly and never wants to die. He loves the concept of suffering and redemption, both in the model of a Christ who redeems, and by our own actions in this world, by which we redeem ourselves.
Unamuno is all about striving, in the most ethical way possible, to create yourself. In a way, he is a more humanistic Nietzsche. His will-to-power is tempered by his mediterranean/Spanish anarchical democratic sentiment. Whew. He's like a Spanish Walt Whitman. A Spanish William Blake. But really so much better than them. Nada menos que todo un hombre.
You will like this book if you like:
a) Shakespeare for his "philosophy"
b) Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
c) Nietzsche but are turned off by his German-ness
d) philosophy that helps you exist but doesnt turn you into a whimpering sap
e) southern Spain; Cante Jondo; the deep mediterranean vibe
PS- He has a great "spiritual biography" of Quixote and Sancho Panza too but I dont think its translated into English. Its called "Vida de Don Quixote y Sancho" and is almost as good as this book.