Penultimate Words: And Other Essays

by Lev Shestov

A thoughtful look at how belief, truth, and fame shape the choices of great minds.

This collection probes how philosophers and writers wrestle with life, meaning, and the power to persuade. It explores why dogma persists, even when new ideas challenge old certainties, and what that persistence says about human longing.

In these pages, readers encounter reflections on figures from philosophy, literature, and science. The author considers the costs and joys of pursuing truth, the role of illusion, and the stubbornness that often accompanies conviction. The tone is measured, with an eye toward how ideas evolve and why people cling to them. A clear discussion of belief, doubt, and the limits of human knowledge Examples drawn from philosophy, literature, and history to illuminate argument Thoughtful observations on how great minds balance certainty and openness Connections between personal ambition, moral questions, and public life Ideal for readers who enjoy philosophy, essays on knowledge, and explorations of how ideas influence life and society.

Genres: Russia, Philosophy

226 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Lev Isaakovich Shestov (Russian: Лев Исаа́кович Шесто́в), born Yehuda Leyb Schwarzmann (Russian: Иегуда Лейб Шварцман), variously known as Leon Shestov, Léon Chestov, Leo Shestov.

A Ukrainian/Russian existentialist philosopher. Born in Kiev (Russian Empire). He emigrated to France in 1921, fleeing from the aftermath of the October Revolution. He lived in Paris until his death.

Reviews

[Roland Clark]

Lev Shestov suffered his first mental breakdown in 1895, when he was 29 years old. It is unclear exactly what triggered it, but most likely it was because of his father, who wanted him to take over running the family business when all Shestov wanted to do was to write philosophy. His father was also a leader in the local Jewish community and would not tolerate his children marrying goyim. He disowned Shestov’s sister when she married a Christian and he refused to let Shestov marry the second love of his life because she came from the wrong religion. Eventually Shestov did get married (to a Roman Catholic girl) but he didn’t tell his parents until after his father’s death almost twenty years later. Once the mind is broken, however, it is never the same again, and Shestov suffered a second mental breakdown in 1906. He wrote in his diary in 1920 that “this year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of when ‘the time fell out of joint,’ or more precisely, when an early autumn arrived in the beginning of September.” All of the essays and aphorisms collected in Penultimate Words and Other Essays were written between 1904 and 1906, and represent the ideas of a man stretched to the utmost and teetering on the brink of his second breakdown.

Read the rest of my review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2016/03/0...

[laurentiu]

0

[Mz]

https://www.fractalart.gr/o-ntostogie...

[Edgar]

I cannot help loving Shestov. His wit, his sarcasm, but also the vague mysticism he often indulges in - I am deeply infatuated with all of it. Shestov is an incredibly erudite man, such as only earlier centuries have produced. Because of his frequent discussion of other authors it is sometimes difficult to assess whether Shestov is giving his own opinion or merely reporting his reading of someone else. Perhaps it doesn't matter much which parts are his. Perhaps it is his way of paying tribute to his predecessors. Perhaps it is his 'indirect communication' as with Carlyle's Teufelsdröckh or Kierkegaard's host of characters. Either way: a deeply moving, thought-provoking collection of essays, I would highly recommend to anyone.

[Ştefan Bolea]

(2nd reading.)