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SoBrief
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Humanly Possible
by Sarah Bakewell • 2023
Humanism's 700-year bet: that reason and kindness, not gods or ideologies, will save us.
4.01
2k+
Humanly Possible Summary
Humanly Possible 91%
Humanism's 700-year bet: that reason and kindness, not gods or ideologies, will save us.
by Sarah Bakewell 2023
4.01
2k+ ratings
The Anatomy of Melancholy
by Robert Burton • 1621
A recluse stitched all of literature into one book to prove everyone is mad.
4.10
2k+
The Anatomy of Melancholy Summary
The Anatomy of Melancholy 90%
A recluse stitched all of literature into one book to prove everyone is mad.
by Robert Burton 1621
4.10
2k+ ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 89%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
Lost in Thought
by Zena Hitz • 2020
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
3.64
2k+
Lost in Thought Summary
Lost in Thought 89%
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
by Zena Hitz 2020
3.64
2k+ ratings
The Book of the Courtier
by Baldassare Castiglione • 1528
The Renaissance guide to making everything look effortless, and why that wins the prince's ear.
3.62
3k+
The Book of the Courtier Summary
The Book of the Courtier 88%
The Renaissance guide to making everything look effortless, and why that wins the prince's ear.
by Baldassare Castiglione 1528
3.62
3k+ ratings
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
by Will Durant • 2002
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
3.72
3k+
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time Summary
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time 88%
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
by Will Durant 2002
3.72
3k+ ratings
The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 88%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
The Little Book of Humanism
by Andrew Copson • 2020
No afterlife, no divine plan, no sacred text. A humanist guide to the good life.
4.09
1k+
The Little Book of Humanism Summary
The Little Book of Humanism 88%
No afterlife, no divine plan, no sacred text. A humanist guide to the good life.
by Andrew Copson 2020
4.09
1k+ ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 88%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
The Abolition of Man
by C.S. Lewis • 1943
The final product of denying objective value is not freedom but a humanity ruled by impulse.
4.12
42k+
The Abolition of Man Summary
The Abolition of Man 88%
The final product of denying objective value is not freedom but a humanity ruled by impulse.
by C.S. Lewis 1943
4.12
42k+ ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 88%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Age of Defeat
by Colin Wilson • 1959
Why the hero vanished: affluence, conformity, and philosophy all taught us we don't matter.
4.00
59
The Age of Defeat Summary
The Age of Defeat 88%
Why the hero vanished: affluence, conformity, and philosophy all taught us we don't matter.
by Colin Wilson 1959
4.00
59 ratings
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro
by Vladimir Nabokov • 1981
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
4.26
2k+
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro Summary
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro 88%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ ratings
Introducción al personalismo (Biblioteca Palabra nº 41)
by Juan Manuel Burgos • 2012
The person is a someone, not an object; freedom means shaping who you become.
4.46
26
Introducción al personalismo (Biblioteca Palabra nº 41) Summary
Introducción al personalismo (Biblioteca Palabra nº 41) 88%
The person is a someone, not an object; freedom means shaping who you become.
by Juan Manuel Burgos 2012
4.46
26 ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 88%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 88%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
Preface to Shakespeare
by Samuel Johnson • 1778
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
3.62
376
Preface to Shakespeare Summary
Preface to Shakespeare 88%
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
by Samuel Johnson 1778
3.62
376 ratings
On Being Human
by Erich Fromm • 1991
Two rival systems, one hidden agreement: they both trade being alive for having more.
3.94
584
On Being Human Summary
On Being Human 88%
Two rival systems, one hidden agreement: they both trade being alive for having more.
by Erich Fromm 1991
3.94
584 ratings
The Outsider
by Colin Wilson • 1956
The outsider feels reality too sharply to accept ordinary life. That crisis destroys, or awakens.
4.03
5k+
The Outsider Summary
The Outsider 88%
The outsider feels reality too sharply to accept ordinary life. That crisis destroys, or awakens.
by Colin Wilson 1956
4.03
5k+ ratings
Dialogism
by Michael Holquist • 1990
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
4.09
88
Dialogism Summary
Dialogism 88%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
Fallen Leaves
by Will Durant • 2014
At life's end, a historian sets down what he knows about desire, war, art, and God.
3.92
1k+
Fallen Leaves Summary
Fallen Leaves 88%
At life's end, a historian sets down what he knows about desire, war, art, and God.
by Will Durant 2014
3.92
1k+ ratings
The Swerve
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2011
One manuscript, hunted across monasteries, reintroduced a dangerous idea: the soul is mortal.
3.87
35k+
The Swerve Summary
The Swerve 88%
One manuscript, hunted across monasteries, reintroduced a dangerous idea: the soul is mortal.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2011
3.87
35k+ ratings
Letters to a Young Contrarian
by Christopher Hitchens • 2001
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
4.13
13k+
Letters to a Young Contrarian Summary
Letters to a Young Contrarian 88%
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
by Christopher Hitchens 2001
4.13
13k+ ratings
The End of Education
by Neil Postman • 1995
Education has lost its story. Here are the narratives that give learning purpose again.
3.97
2k+
The End of Education Summary
The End of Education 88%
Education has lost its story. Here are the narratives that give learning purpose again.
by Neil Postman 1995
3.97
2k+ ratings
To Have or To Be?
by Erich Fromm • 1976
Two modes of existence divide us: one treats everything as property; the other, as living encounter.
4.18
14k+
To Have or To Be? Summary
To Have or To Be? 88%
Two modes of existence divide us: one treats everything as property; the other, as living encounter.
by Erich Fromm 1976
4.18
14k+ ratings
The Iliad / The Odyssey
by Homer
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
4.07
84k+
The Iliad / The Odyssey Summary
The Iliad / The Odyssey 88%
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
by Homer
4.07
84k+ ratings
Very Little...Almost Nothing
by Simon Critchley • 2004
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
3.89
132
Very Little...Almost Nothing Summary
Very Little...Almost Nothing 88%
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
by Simon Critchley 2004
3.89
132 ratings
Tolstoy or Dostoevsky
by George Steiner • 1959
Tolstoy built heaven on earth; Dostoevsky argued freedom needs hell. Their clash defines the novel.
4.26
466
Tolstoy or Dostoevsky Summary
Tolstoy or Dostoevsky 88%
Tolstoy built heaven on earth; Dostoevsky argued freedom needs hell. Their clash defines the novel.
by George Steiner 1959
4.26
466 ratings
Lyrical and Critical Essays
by Albert Camus • 1970
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
4.31
1k+
Lyrical and Critical Essays Summary
Lyrical and Critical Essays 88%
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
by Albert Camus 1970
4.31
1k+ ratings
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince
by Pierre Lassus • 2014
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
3.31
51
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince Summary
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince 88%
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
by Pierre Lassus 2014
3.31
51 ratings
Nonconformity
by Nelson Algren • 1996
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
4.07
268
Nonconformity Summary
Nonconformity 88%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
The Poet's Guide to Life
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 2005
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
4.12
368
The Poet's Guide to Life Summary
The Poet's Guide to Life 88%
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 2005
4.12
368 ratings
The Wisdom of the Heart
by Henry Miller • 1941
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
4.03
663
The Wisdom of the Heart Summary
The Wisdom of the Heart 88%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 ratings
The Two Cultures
by C.P. Snow • 1959
A scientist's 1959 warning: the rift between science and the humanities is a crisis of civilization.
3.66
2k+
The Two Cultures Summary
The Two Cultures 88%
A scientist's 1959 warning: the rift between science and the humanities is a crisis of civilization.
by C.P. Snow 1959
3.66
2k+ ratings
The Meaning of Things
by A.C. Grayling • 2001
Love, hate, and happiness: what philosophy knows that we keep forgetting.
3.86
2k+
The Meaning of Things Summary
The Meaning of Things 88%
Love, hate, and happiness: what philosophy knows that we keep forgetting.
by A.C. Grayling 2001
3.86
2k+ ratings
Absence of Mind
by Marilynne Robinson • 2010
Modern thought dismisses the mind's inner life as unscientific. Here is what that dismissal costs.
3.80
988
Absence of Mind Summary
Absence of Mind 88%
Modern thought dismisses the mind's inner life as unscientific. Here is what that dismissal costs.
by Marilynne Robinson 2010
3.80
988 ratings
Existentialism
by Thomas R. Flynn • 2006
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
3.49
2k+
Existentialism Summary
Existentialism 88%
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
by Thomas R. Flynn 2006
3.49
2k+ ratings
Julio Cortázar
by Robert Brody • 1976
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
4.37
8k+
Julio Cortázar Summary
Julio Cortázar 88%
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
by Robert Brody 1976
4.37
8k+ ratings
A Little History of Literature
by John Sutherland • 2013
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
3.82
2k+
A Little History of Literature Summary
A Little History of Literature 88%
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
by John Sutherland 2013
3.82
2k+ ratings
The Art of Worldly Wisdom
by Baltasar Gracián • 1647
300 rules for when to speak, when to trust, and why reputation outlasts talent.
4.17
5k+
The Art of Worldly Wisdom Summary
The Art of Worldly Wisdom 88%
300 rules for when to speak, when to trust, and why reputation outlasts talent.
by Baltasar Gracián 1647
4.17
5k+ ratings
On Kindness
by Adam Phillips • 2009
How kindness went from virtue to embarrassment. A compact history of what self-interest cost us.
3.54
707
On Kindness Summary
On Kindness 88%
How kindness went from virtue to embarrassment. A compact history of what self-interest cost us.
by Adam Phillips 2009
3.54
707 ratings
The Coffee Bean
by Jon Gordon • 2019
A traveler reports from an island where gold lines chamber pots and no one owns anything.
4.04
6k+
The Coffee Bean Summary
The Coffee Bean 88%
A traveler reports from an island where gold lines chamber pots and no one owns anything.
by Jon Gordon 2019
4.04
6k+ ratings
Faith, Hope and Poetry
by Malcolm Guite • 2010
Imagination was exiled from knowledge centuries ago. Poetry kept the evidence across eight poets.
4.64
121
Faith, Hope and Poetry Summary
Faith, Hope and Poetry 88%
Imagination was exiled from knowledge centuries ago. Poetry kept the evidence across eight poets.
by Malcolm Guite 2010
4.64
121 ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 87%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ ratings
The Ascent of Man
by Jacob Bronowski • 1973
Art and science are twin expressions of a single gift: the mind's ability to remake itself.
4.21
6k+
The Ascent of Man Summary
The Ascent of Man 87%
Art and science are twin expressions of a single gift: the mind's ability to remake itself.
by Jacob Bronowski 1973
4.21
6k+ ratings
Arguably
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
4.20
10k+
Arguably Summary
Arguably 87%
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.20
10k+ ratings
The Road to Character
by David Brooks • 2015
Two kinds of virtue compete in every life. The modern world only teaches the shallower one.
3.65
27k+
The Road to Character Summary
The Road to Character 87%
Two kinds of virtue compete in every life. The modern world only teaches the shallower one.
by David Brooks 2015
3.65
27k+ ratings
Standpoints
by Svend Brinkmann • 2018
Modernity wants a use for everything. Ten old ideas that refuse to earn their keep.
3.77
787
Standpoints Summary
Standpoints 87%
Modernity wants a use for everything. Ten old ideas that refuse to earn their keep.
by Svend Brinkmann 2018
3.77
787 ratings
Books vs. Cigarettes
by George Orwell • 1946
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
3.83
9k+
Books vs. Cigarettes Summary
Books vs. Cigarettes 87%
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
by George Orwell 1946
3.83
9k+ ratings
Borges on Writing
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1973
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
4.07
1k+
Borges on Writing Summary
Borges on Writing 87%
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1973
4.07
1k+ ratings
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