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Concerning the Spiritual in Art
by Wassily Kandinsky • 1912
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
3.83
93k+
Concerning the Spiritual in Art Summary
Concerning the Spiritual in Art 88%
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
by Wassily Kandinsky 1912
3.83
93k+ ratings
Tragedy and Hope
by Carroll Quigley • 1966
Art turned ugly, stopped making sense, and became useless. That was its last honest act.
4.32
917
Tragedy and Hope Summary
Tragedy and Hope 88%
Art turned ugly, stopped making sense, and became useless. That was its last honest act.
by Carroll Quigley 1966
4.32
917 ratings
Água Viva
by Clarice Lispector • 2012
A painter writes, chasing the instant that is always now and already gone.
4.25
26k+
Água Viva Summary
Água Viva 88%
A painter writes, chasing the instant that is always now and already gone.
by Clarice Lispector 2012
4.25
26k+ ratings
The Man Without Content
by Giorgio Agamben • 1970
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
4.15
383
The Man Without Content Summary
The Man Without Content 88%
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
by Giorgio Agamben 1970
4.15
383 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
Tutte le poesie
by Eugenio Montale • 1984
A Nobel poet's map of the world: lemon trees, cuttlefish bones, and a single flawed link.
4.63
750
Tutte le poesie Summary
Tutte le poesie 87%
A Nobel poet's map of the world: lemon trees, cuttlefish bones, and a single flawed link.
by Eugenio Montale 1984
4.63
750 ratings
Glitch Feminism
by Legacy Russell • 2020
The glitch is not a mistake to fix; it’s a weapon against the binary body.
3.76
3k+
Glitch Feminism Summary
Glitch Feminism 87%
The glitch is not a mistake to fix; it’s a weapon against the binary body.
by Legacy Russell 2020
3.76
3k+ ratings
History of Modern Art
by H. Harvard Arnason • 1968
How a century of painters dismantled perspective, freed color, and rebuilt art from scratch.
4.01
9k+
History of Modern Art Summary
History of Modern Art 87%
How a century of painters dismantled perspective, freed color, and rebuilt art from scratch.
by H. Harvard Arnason 1968
4.01
9k+ ratings
Letters on Cézanne
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1907
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
4.16
957
Letters on Cézanne Summary
Letters on Cézanne 87%
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1907
4.16
957 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 87%
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 Longing for Less
by Kyle Chayka • 2020
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
3.45
1k+
The Longing for Less Summary
The Longing for Less 87%
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
by Kyle Chayka 2020
3.45
1k+ ratings
The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems
by T.S. Eliot • 1922
A man paralyzed by self-doubt walks city streets as a wasteland demands to know what remains.
4.14
12k+
The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems Summary
The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems 87%
A man paralyzed by self-doubt walks city streets as a wasteland demands to know what remains.
by T.S. Eliot 1922
4.14
12k+ ratings
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
by Walter Benjamin • 1936
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
4.08
25k+
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Summary
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 87%
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
by Walter Benjamin 1936
4.08
25k+ 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 87%
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
by Robert Brody 1976
4.37
8k+ 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 87%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ 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 87%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 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
The Diaries of Franz Kafka
by Franz Kafka • 2023
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
4.28
577
The Diaries of Franz Kafka Summary
The Diaries of Franz Kafka 87%
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
by Franz Kafka 2023
4.28
577 ratings
Writing and Difference
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
4.00
8k+
Writing and Difference Summary
Writing and Difference 87%
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
by Jacques Derrida 1967
4.00
8k+ 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 86%
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
by Simon Critchley 2004
3.89
132 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 86%
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
by Albert Camus 1970
4.31
1k+ ratings
Lives of the Artists
by Calvin Tomkins • 2008
When art has no fixed rules, the artist's life becomes the work. Ten portraits.
4.10
586
Lives of the Artists Summary
Lives of the Artists 86%
When art has no fixed rules, the artist's life becomes the work. Ten portraits.
by Calvin Tomkins 2008
4.10
586 ratings
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
by Gertrude Stein • 1933
Alice Toklas meets Gertrude Stein in 1907 Paris, entering the salon where modern art was born.
3.54
14k+
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Summary
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas 86%
Alice Toklas meets Gertrude Stein in 1907 Paris, entering the salon where modern art was born.
by Gertrude Stein 1933
3.54
14k+ 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 86%
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
by Thomas R. Flynn 2006
3.49
2k+ 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 86%
Why the hero vanished: affluence, conformity, and philosophy all taught us we don't matter.
by Colin Wilson 1959
4.00
59 ratings
The Society of the Spectacle
by Guy Debord • 1967
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
4.03
24k+
The Society of the Spectacle Summary
The Society of the Spectacle 86%
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
by Guy Debord 1967
4.03
24k+ ratings
Tropic of Cancer
by Henry Miller • 1934
A broke American drifts through Paris, turning hunger, sex, and failure into an ecstatic howl.
3.65
79k+
Tropic of Cancer Summary
Tropic of Cancer 86%
A broke American drifts through Paris, turning hunger, sex, and failure into an ecstatic howl.
by Henry Miller 1934
3.65
79k+ ratings
The Lonely Voice
by Frank O'Connor • 1961
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
3.89
246
The Lonely Voice Summary
The Lonely Voice 86%
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
by Frank O'Connor 1961
3.89
246 ratings
Fully Automated Luxury Communism
by Aaron Bastani • 2018
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
3.68
3k+
Fully Automated Luxury Communism Summary
Fully Automated Luxury Communism 86%
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
by Aaron Bastani 2018
3.68
3k+ 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 86%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
Archaeologies of the Future
by Fredric Jameson • 2005
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
4.04
596
Archaeologies of the Future Summary
Archaeologies of the Future 86%
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
by Fredric Jameson 2005
4.04
596 ratings
Simulacra and Simulation
by Jean Baudrillard • 1981
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
4.00
17k+
Simulacra and Simulation Summary
Simulacra and Simulation 86%
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
by Jean Baudrillard 1981
4.00
17k+ ratings
Un espectro recorre el mundo. Sobre el Manifiesto comunista
by China Miéville • 2022
A novelist on the Communist Manifesto as a live spell and the moral case for class hatred.
3.97
1k+
Un espectro recorre el mundo. Sobre el Manifiesto comunista Summary
Un espectro recorre el mundo. Sobre el Manifiesto comunista 86%
A novelist on the Communist Manifesto as a live spell and the moral case for class hatred.
by China Miéville 2022
3.97
1k+ ratings
Men Among the Ruins
by Julius Evola • 1953
Beneath modern politics, a hidden battle against the idea of order is being won.
4.11
724
Men Among the Ruins Summary
Men Among the Ruins 86%
Beneath modern politics, a hidden battle against the idea of order is being won.
by Julius Evola 1953
4.11
724 ratings
Bronze Age Mindset
by Bronze Age Pervert • 2018
An internet manifesto commanding men to ditch democracy, build godlike bodies, and live as pirates.
3.81
4k+
Bronze Age Mindset Summary
Bronze Age Mindset 86%
An internet manifesto commanding men to ditch democracy, build godlike bodies, and live as pirates.
by Bronze Age Pervert 2018
3.81
4k+ ratings
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel • 2004
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
3.89
1k+
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics Summary
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics 86%
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 2004
3.89
1k+ ratings
The Art of the Poetic Line
by James Longenbach • 2007
The 'line break' is a misnomer. A poet-critic reveals what actually happens where lines end.
4.03
694
The Art of the Poetic Line Summary
The Art of the Poetic Line 86%
The 'line break' is a misnomer. A poet-critic reveals what actually happens where lines end.
by James Longenbach 2007
4.03
694 ratings
The Translator's Invisibility
by Lawrence Venuti • 1994
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
3.79
272
The Translator's Invisibility Summary
The Translator's Invisibility 86%
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
by Lawrence Venuti 1994
3.79
272 ratings
Poesía completa
by Alejandra Pizarnik • 2000
Poetry cannot close the wound it names. The truest self only breathes after dark.
4.55
11k+
Poesía completa Summary
Poesía completa 86%
Poetry cannot close the wound it names. The truest self only breathes after dark.
by Alejandra Pizarnik 2000
4.55
11k+ ratings
The Book of Disquiet
by Fernando Pessoa • 1982
A Lisbon clerk fills notebooks with tedium, dreams, and the sense that nothing means anything.
4.39
38k+
The Book of Disquiet Summary
The Book of Disquiet 86%
A Lisbon clerk fills notebooks with tedium, dreams, and the sense that nothing means anything.
by Fernando Pessoa 1982
4.39
38k+ ratings
Libro dell'acqua
by Eduard Limonov • 2003
At 48, a Russian exile finds his war and grins, documenting his self-made legend.
3.56
259
Libro dell'acqua Summary
Libro dell'acqua 86%
At 48, a Russian exile finds his war and grins, documenting his self-made legend.
by Eduard Limonov 2003
3.56
259 ratings
Letters To A Young Poet
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1929
A young officer asked Rilke for writing advice. The poet replied: stop asking. Go inside.
4.27
125k+
Letters To A Young Poet Summary
Letters To A Young Poet 86%
A young officer asked Rilke for writing advice. The poet replied: stop asking. Go inside.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1929
4.27
125k+ ratings
Why Poetry
by Matthew Zapruder • 2017
The case for reading poems exactly as they are: literally, without hunting for hidden meanings.
4.16
1k+
Why Poetry Summary
Why Poetry 86%
The case for reading poems exactly as they are: literally, without hunting for hidden meanings.
by Matthew Zapruder 2017
4.16
1k+ ratings
Inventing the Future
by Nick Srnicek • 2015
Small protests fail. The left needs automation, a guaranteed wage, and a long-term vision.
3.97
3k+
Inventing the Future Summary
Inventing the Future 86%
Small protests fail. The left needs automation, a guaranteed wage, and a long-term vision.
by Nick Srnicek 2015
3.97
3k+ ratings
The Stillborn God
by Mark Lilla • 2007
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
3.60
289
The Stillborn God Summary
The Stillborn God 86%
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
by Mark Lilla 2007
3.60
289 ratings
Industrial Society and Its Future
by Ted Kaczynski • 2024
Modern comfort is a trap that erases human purpose. The only escape: abolishing technology.
3.88
203
Industrial Society and Its Future Summary
Industrial Society and Its Future 86%
Modern comfort is a trap that erases human purpose. The only escape: abolishing technology.
by Ted Kaczynski 2024
3.88
203 ratings
The Rebel
by Albert Camus • 1951
Rebellion either creates solidarity or becomes murder: a journey from blasphemy to the guillotine.
4.13
19k+
The Rebel Summary
The Rebel 86%
Rebellion either creates solidarity or becomes murder: a journey from blasphemy to the guillotine.
by Albert Camus 1951
4.13
19k+ ratings
Nonbinary
by Genesis P-Orridge • 2021
Genesis P-Orridge died twice: once by accident, once to become an experiment in erasing gender.
4.00
577
Nonbinary Summary
Nonbinary 86%
Genesis P-Orridge died twice: once by accident, once to become an experiment in erasing gender.
by Genesis P-Orridge 2021
4.00
577 ratings
A History of India, Vol. 1
by Romila Thapar • 1990
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
3.63
2k+
A History of India, Vol. 1 Summary
A History of India, Vol. 1 86%
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
by Romila Thapar 1990
3.63
2k+ ratings
Hertzian Tales
by Anthony Dunne • 1999
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
4.26
125
Hertzian Tales Summary
Hertzian Tales 86%
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
by Anthony Dunne 1999
4.26
125 ratings
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