Searching for Cioran

Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnston (1952–2005) was Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University, Bloomington. She translated two books by E. M. Cioran from Romanian, On the Heights of Despair and Tears and Saints, and is author of To Kill a Text: The Dialogic Fiction of Hugo, Dickens and Zola. Kenneth R. Johnston is Professor of English Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is author of The Hidden Wordsworth: Poet, Lover, Rebel, Spy and co-editor of Romantic Revolutions: Criticism and Theory (IUP, 1990). He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

"[Searching for Cioran] tells the story of his Romanian years and gives a fine account of the personal and political circumstances in which both his philosophical ideas and his brand of nationalism were formed. November 11, 2010"—The New York Review of Books"This is a graceful study of a disputed period in Cioran's intellectual biography and personal life. With subtle sophistication and intimate knowledge of the subject . . . the author has sought to recreate Cioran's Romanian roots and his local and universal intellectual sources, in what, it was hoped, would become Cioran's ultimate scholarly biography. . . . Although the author's untimely death precluded the book's completion, no one will deny that what Zarifopol-Johnston has achieved is arguably one of the most audacious analyses to date of Cioran's life and writings. One can only hope that future studies will be as compelling and provacative, and thus complete the ambitious scholarly agenda set up by Zarifopol-Johnston.Spring 2010"—Slavic Review"Zarifopol-Johnston seeks to understand Cioran rather than accuse him. . . . [She] points out both continuities and rifts between the thought of the 'Romanian' Cioran and the 'French' Cioran. . . . Searching for Cioran offers valuable material about an important writer's early life.January 25, 2009"—Washington post"Very valuable and beautifully written . . . introducing her exciting subject in a context broad enough even for those who don't know much about Cioran."—Irina Livezeanu, author of Cultural Politics in Greater Romania"An important and distinctly original contribution to the growing field of Cioran studies. . . . [Zarifopol-Johnston] is a sharp, insightful observer of self and others, courageous and candid, writing in a fresh, quick-silver style."—from the Foreword by Matei Calinescu

• ContentsEditor's PrefaceNote on Romanian Spelling and PronunciationForeword by Matei CalinescuChronology: E. M. CioranPart 1. The Romanian Life of Emil CioranIntroduction: Cioran's Revenge1. Răşinari, Transylvania, 1911–19212. Sibiu, 1921–19283. Bucharest, 1928–19334. Berlin, 1933–19355. Romania's Transfiguration, 1935–19376. Romania's Transfiguration, Continuing Controversy7. Tears and Saints, 19378. Stranger in Paris9. Conclusion: The Lyrical Virtues of TotalitarianismPart 2. Memoirs of a Publishing ScoundrelPreludeParis, 1992–1994Romania, 1994Paris, 1995Romania, 1995–1997PostludeAppendixesAppendix 1: Another FamilyAppendix 2: Articles by Cioran in Romanian journals reflecting his experience in GermanyNotesBibliographyBiographical NoteIndex