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The Nihilist
A NOVEL OF ALIENATION FOR THE DOOMER GENERATION
A dark and introspective tale of a young man at the end of his rope—his girlfriend has left him, he hates his job, he has no friends, no beliefs, no hope, no future.
During the course of a week he will plunge himself into a sea of alcohol whilst traversing an urban landscape littered with bars and letdowns. In his attempts to find human connection, he will come across estranged acquaintances and sordid strangers, descending into bitter philosophical rants as he reflects critically over his disappointing life and the absurdity of the world around him.
He will suffer through misery, humiliation, madness and violence, his bender ultimately spiralling him onto the very heights of despair.
Will he succumb? Or is there still some hope left for him?
A dark and introspective tale of a young man at the end of his rope—his girlfriend has left him, he hates his job, he has no friends, no beliefs, no hope, no future.
During the course of a week he will plunge himself into a sea of alcohol whilst traversing an urban landscape littered with bars and letdowns. In his attempts to find human connection, he will come across estranged acquaintances and sordid strangers, descending into bitter philosophical rants as he reflects critically over his disappointing life and the absurdity of the world around him.
He will suffer through misery, humiliation, madness and violence, his bender ultimately spiralling him onto the very heights of despair.
Will he succumb? Or is there still some hope left for him?
- GenresPhilosophy
205 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2020
8 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Keijo Kangur
6 books28 followersKeijo Kangur is Estonia's enfant terrible who has published articles, reviews, short stories, travelogues, photo books, and a novel. He writes in Estonian and English.
Coming from a working-class background, he has worked in telemarketing, construction, warehousing, food service, postal sorting, data entry, call centers, and anti-money laundering.
His writing is inspired by his own life, by philosophy, and by authors such as Bukowski, John Fante, and Mark SaFranko. His favorite novel is No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. Above all, he prefers works based on their authors’ own experiences.
His own work consists mostly of autobiographical fiction, with a focus on the darker and seedier side of human existence.
Coming from a working-class background, he has worked in telemarketing, construction, warehousing, food service, postal sorting, data entry, call centers, and anti-money laundering.
His writing is inspired by his own life, by philosophy, and by authors such as Bukowski, John Fante, and Mark SaFranko. His favorite novel is No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. Above all, he prefers works based on their authors’ own experiences.
His own work consists mostly of autobiographical fiction, with a focus on the darker and seedier side of human existence.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 9, 2021
As a long-time fan of existentialist philosophy and fiction, I enjoyed Keijo Kangur's The Nihilist but the book has some essential drawbacks that kept me from loving it. On the positive side, the book is well-paced, the dialogue is well-crafted and, in good existentialist tradition, the author does away with standard, mainstream narrative structures. The multitude of philosophical and literary references is also a plus as is the animated and insightful discussion of existentialist ideas. As a Romanian, I also related to the novel's setting, Estonia; both countries trying to develop in the shadow of the USSR, fighting the specters of communism while still caught in the middle of the Cold War.
What turned me off about the book is its didacticism. The main character is a cheerleader for nihilism, he spreads his pessimism with all the fervor and charisma of a manic Kanye West. He comes across as flat and one-dimensional. There's no character development or drama, all events in the book seem to just be pretexts for a whiny lecture about suffering and the meaninglessness of the universe. The story takes the back seat to ideology. This is also connected to the author's neglect of the "Show, don't tell" rule for solid fiction writing. There's a lot of telling going on in this book, and not enough showing. The character complains about the disease of consciousness. Well, what is that illness, how does it feel? Show us the suffering! This is even more urgent since only a select few people fall prey to this existential angst and most people have no clue about it or stubbornly repress it. it is the writer's job to make that emotion vivid and make the reader go, "Hell, maybe I've been in denial all my life."
There's no tension in the book because the main character already knows everything about life and he wants to commit suicide, which we already know he won't succeed at since the story is written in the first person. All solid existentialist novels from Dostoyevsky to Bukowsky have characters caught in the throes of an inner struggle, tormented by doubt, searching for answers. Not our nihilist, he's just 100% nihilist, a living stereotype, has all the answers, and of story. Why should we care about him? God only knows.
A fan of Thomas Ligotti, Kangur falls into the trap of a false dichotomy that pervades Ligotti's The Conspiracy Against The Human Race: either someone is a suicidal pessimist or they are deluded normies living in a lie. Human psychology is more complex and Nietzsche already warned us about the dangers of simplistic philosophical generalizations. Of course, some people think life is ultimately meaningless (after all, the idea has been around since the 19th century) but that doesn't stop them from leading good, productive lives. After all, as Camus points out, the consciousness of the absurdity of the universe does not strictly imply suicide. This is the realm of freedom, one can very well be authentic, lucid, and non-depressive, even joyful. People are different.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and appreciate the honesty and intellectual verve behind it. However, I think Kangur skews the balance between emotive and cognitive content, and the book, at times, ends up reading like a Philosophy 101 lecture.
What turned me off about the book is its didacticism. The main character is a cheerleader for nihilism, he spreads his pessimism with all the fervor and charisma of a manic Kanye West. He comes across as flat and one-dimensional. There's no character development or drama, all events in the book seem to just be pretexts for a whiny lecture about suffering and the meaninglessness of the universe. The story takes the back seat to ideology. This is also connected to the author's neglect of the "Show, don't tell" rule for solid fiction writing. There's a lot of telling going on in this book, and not enough showing. The character complains about the disease of consciousness. Well, what is that illness, how does it feel? Show us the suffering! This is even more urgent since only a select few people fall prey to this existential angst and most people have no clue about it or stubbornly repress it. it is the writer's job to make that emotion vivid and make the reader go, "Hell, maybe I've been in denial all my life."
There's no tension in the book because the main character already knows everything about life and he wants to commit suicide, which we already know he won't succeed at since the story is written in the first person. All solid existentialist novels from Dostoyevsky to Bukowsky have characters caught in the throes of an inner struggle, tormented by doubt, searching for answers. Not our nihilist, he's just 100% nihilist, a living stereotype, has all the answers, and of story. Why should we care about him? God only knows.
A fan of Thomas Ligotti, Kangur falls into the trap of a false dichotomy that pervades Ligotti's The Conspiracy Against The Human Race: either someone is a suicidal pessimist or they are deluded normies living in a lie. Human psychology is more complex and Nietzsche already warned us about the dangers of simplistic philosophical generalizations. Of course, some people think life is ultimately meaningless (after all, the idea has been around since the 19th century) but that doesn't stop them from leading good, productive lives. After all, as Camus points out, the consciousness of the absurdity of the universe does not strictly imply suicide. This is the realm of freedom, one can very well be authentic, lucid, and non-depressive, even joyful. People are different.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and appreciate the honesty and intellectual verve behind it. However, I think Kangur skews the balance between emotive and cognitive content, and the book, at times, ends up reading like a Philosophy 101 lecture.
December 29, 2021
But what if the monster is reality itself?
This is a novel, in large part autobiographical, I believe, about loneliness when all meaning is lost, about seeking understanding and connection in a world where there seems none to be found for the disillusioned. Our world. Our reality. A monstrous world populated by the inane and the insane. This is a fast-paced forceful trip into darkness, both literal and figurative. If the ideas in this book are new to you, you may find them horrifying. If you've felt what the protagonist feels, you will suffer alongside him to the very end.
This is not a hero's journey but our unnamed protagonist is far from unsympathetic. He's intelligent, he's well-spoken but most importantly he lives and feels with an intensity that makes the last chapters painful to read. There's philosophy, science, and unexpected beauty in ugliness. And, yes, perhaps also hope.
Do yourself a favour and read this book in one sitting. Although the ideas are complex, the writing is easy to follow and the story engaging. You'll think about this novel for a long time after you finish it. Promise.
This is a novel, in large part autobiographical, I believe, about loneliness when all meaning is lost, about seeking understanding and connection in a world where there seems none to be found for the disillusioned. Our world. Our reality. A monstrous world populated by the inane and the insane. This is a fast-paced forceful trip into darkness, both literal and figurative. If the ideas in this book are new to you, you may find them horrifying. If you've felt what the protagonist feels, you will suffer alongside him to the very end.
This is not a hero's journey but our unnamed protagonist is far from unsympathetic. He's intelligent, he's well-spoken but most importantly he lives and feels with an intensity that makes the last chapters painful to read. There's philosophy, science, and unexpected beauty in ugliness. And, yes, perhaps also hope.
Do yourself a favour and read this book in one sitting. Although the ideas are complex, the writing is easy to follow and the story engaging. You'll think about this novel for a long time after you finish it. Promise.
May 25, 2021
I definitely found comfort and affinity with this novel, though I must confess I innitially didn’t like the narrator’s arrogance towards some things. Despite the attitude, I moved on and got ok with it.
I appreciated the courage, knowledge and intellect for all the deconstruction of values and beliefs, such as the presented illusions on our faith in happiness.
Although this book is a novel, I guess it is also a great and easy reading one if you’re looking to get started in nihilism/ anti-natalism/ pessimist philosophy. You can find references of writers, other books and philosophers.
As a novel it is active, dark, rebellious and straight to the point.
I really enjoyed the final pages, as it does a short and direct resume on the subjects of meaning and existence.
We must find it correct, on the other hand it can get dangerous.
As the very end got super I give it a five, since it makes a good refreshing reference I’ve also never read about.
I appreciated the courage, knowledge and intellect for all the deconstruction of values and beliefs, such as the presented illusions on our faith in happiness.
Although this book is a novel, I guess it is also a great and easy reading one if you’re looking to get started in nihilism/ anti-natalism/ pessimist philosophy. You can find references of writers, other books and philosophers.
As a novel it is active, dark, rebellious and straight to the point.
I really enjoyed the final pages, as it does a short and direct resume on the subjects of meaning and existence.
We must find it correct, on the other hand it can get dangerous.
As the very end got super I give it a five, since it makes a good refreshing reference I’ve also never read about.
February 21, 2021
Different
This book is very sad, yet, has a somewhat happy ending. The title, though, seemingly accurate, is somewhat misleading. If you pay attention, I believe that you will also feel this way.
This book is very sad, yet, has a somewhat happy ending. The title, though, seemingly accurate, is somewhat misleading. If you pay attention, I believe that you will also feel this way.
Read
August 15, 2024A guy gets drunk for a week and whines about everything.
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October 3, 2020
Unlikeable narrator but morbidly interesting books that offers some insights into philosophical pessimism
An interesting story about nihilism, pessimism and antinatalism. The narrator is not particularly likeable. He complains that the world treats him terribly but so eagerly causes others to suffer. Nevertheless there are interesting and insightful moments in the book and it is an entertaining read.
An interesting story about nihilism, pessimism and antinatalism. The narrator is not particularly likeable. He complains that the world treats him terribly but so eagerly causes others to suffer. Nevertheless there are interesting and insightful moments in the book and it is an entertaining read.
October 8, 2020
A gloomy ride through the dark dirty streets of Tallinn. As the title and blurb suggest, the book is dark and pessimistic but it's also hilariously funny at times. The humor really pops because of the overall gloom and I found myself laughing out loud several times. Bukowski fans are sure to enjoy this.
January 17, 2024
This book could have been better, I guess. I wasn’t the least bit interested in the premise but I didn’t hate reading this. The protagonist was severely unlikable. That I don’t mind as much since I would definitely like to see different kinds of main characters in my fiction, ranging from kind and innocent to psychopathic. It would certainly make the reading experience much more interesting. However, it isn’t just that the fact that he’s dislikeable, it’s that he has NO substance to him at all.
I think the book would have been elevated a little if we got a scene where he’s subtly hit with the idea that making people happier, or trying to add value to the world, would be better for him in some way. He seems to come to that conclusion randomly at the end but I feel like it needed to be set up. He should have had a moment where someone he meets makes him question his life choices. He of course would brush these thoughts aside until the very end when he’s contemplating suicide. When he’s got the gun in his hand he starts to think about the person and what they said and it makes him choose life. It makes him decide that he wants to connect with people in some way and that’s when he plans to write a book. I think that would have made me like the book a little more.
I don’t relate to the protagonist, his worldview or his situation. I hope that this book can bring comfort to some people. It might make you feel less alone.
I think the book would have been elevated a little if we got a scene where he’s subtly hit with the idea that making people happier, or trying to add value to the world, would be better for him in some way. He seems to come to that conclusion randomly at the end but I feel like it needed to be set up. He should have had a moment where someone he meets makes him question his life choices. He of course would brush these thoughts aside until the very end when he’s contemplating suicide. When he’s got the gun in his hand he starts to think about the person and what they said and it makes him choose life. It makes him decide that he wants to connect with people in some way and that’s when he plans to write a book. I think that would have made me like the book a little more.
I don’t relate to the protagonist, his worldview or his situation. I hope that this book can bring comfort to some people. It might make you feel less alone.
November 2, 2025
The Nihilist by Estonian novelist and short story writer Keijo Kangur, it's a novel talking about nihilism, pessimism, gloomy outlook, and how life can be meaningless.
I haven't forgotten the first time I read this book, a sublime experience... I don't remember if this was the fifth or sixth time I read it. I want to precise some things, prithee.
The thoughts and ideas of the first character could be deep in some moments, about how humankind works and acts in this world, how corrupt is the society at least to try to make a little change on it...
There is a moment where, frankly, it can be onerous to know what this person thinks, believes, detests and so forth, in the manner of how difficult it is to live and to breathe in this globe.
It's a fact that policies, NGOs... can be working for their own interests and don't care about the rest.
Nevertheless, to believe everything is rotten or rather said, most things are, well, it could leave an exhausted reader in the end. But let's be honest around here, what is hope? Real one, please.
One thing is to pretend to be a positive person, when backwards everything is burning like hell. And no, it could be worse smiling with no sincerity and inside ourselves, we do say the whole truth: "I hate being born, I detest living here on the planet Earth".
This takes us to another route, it's marvellous to read something that makes us reflect concerning our own place on this planet. Firstly, what is our real purpose? Not theories, not interpretations, but true deeds... anything?
When our couple isn't there anymore because each part decided to take different paths, we can feel alone... Not solely that, but how difficult it is to know where we are heading to. Once again, what is our actual goal around here?
We can distract ourselves from pain, heartbreaks and more. Nonetheless, at the end, everything will come to us and nothing, after all, we can't do. It's like there is nothing to struggle, to watch for real.
Reading our protagonist can be very oppressive, for sure! One thing, how equivocal is he? How certain is after everything? Perhaps most lives are like him, and maybe we can't do anything to change it, maybe there is nothing to do eventually.
Reader, would you share your appreciations please? Thank you so much for your attention, take care and my best wishes for you!
I haven't forgotten the first time I read this book, a sublime experience... I don't remember if this was the fifth or sixth time I read it. I want to precise some things, prithee.
The thoughts and ideas of the first character could be deep in some moments, about how humankind works and acts in this world, how corrupt is the society at least to try to make a little change on it...
There is a moment where, frankly, it can be onerous to know what this person thinks, believes, detests and so forth, in the manner of how difficult it is to live and to breathe in this globe.
It's a fact that policies, NGOs... can be working for their own interests and don't care about the rest.
Nevertheless, to believe everything is rotten or rather said, most things are, well, it could leave an exhausted reader in the end. But let's be honest around here, what is hope? Real one, please.
One thing is to pretend to be a positive person, when backwards everything is burning like hell. And no, it could be worse smiling with no sincerity and inside ourselves, we do say the whole truth: "I hate being born, I detest living here on the planet Earth".
This takes us to another route, it's marvellous to read something that makes us reflect concerning our own place on this planet. Firstly, what is our real purpose? Not theories, not interpretations, but true deeds... anything?
When our couple isn't there anymore because each part decided to take different paths, we can feel alone... Not solely that, but how difficult it is to know where we are heading to. Once again, what is our actual goal around here?
We can distract ourselves from pain, heartbreaks and more. Nonetheless, at the end, everything will come to us and nothing, after all, we can't do. It's like there is nothing to struggle, to watch for real.
Reading our protagonist can be very oppressive, for sure! One thing, how equivocal is he? How certain is after everything? Perhaps most lives are like him, and maybe we can't do anything to change it, maybe there is nothing to do eventually.
Reader, would you share your appreciations please? Thank you so much for your attention, take care and my best wishes for you!
March 3, 2021
I ordered this book online and I literally couldn't get even through the full thing. There was no depth, nothing to interpret, nothing to ponder, all so maddeningly surface level. I hoped that the main character would posit truly philosophical claims to think about, ideas about existence, but it was just 200 pages of saying "f*ck life my girlfriend left me" instead. Disappointed by the wasted potential of this book. If you're looking for books on nihilism/existentialism, skip this one.
March 14, 2021
Well written narrative from an Estonian anti-natalist, nihilist. Pessimistic realism is the order of the day as a biochemical consciousness wanders around a bleak theatre stage where the strings have been attached since the big bang.
January 27, 2021
Made me think about stuff. Good stuff
December 27, 2021
I was thoroughly engaged throughout. I loved the ending.
March 28, 2021
Buenisimo
August 10, 2023
El Nihilista, una novela
Keijo Kangur
Keijo nos recibe con un escupitajo en una ¿autoficción?, la cual relata la vida, ¿su vida?, en el transcurso de unos días. El personaje, alcohólico empedernido y frustrado con la vida rebosará la diatriba nihilista de la existencia, parafraseando autores o nombrando obras de corte existencialista, nihilistas o sumamente pesimistas con respecto a la existencia per se del humano y en sí de él mismo.
Recorriendo la ciudad de bar en bar, buscando ahogar su amargura existencial con cerveza, whisky en ocasiones, desfilará primero de forma pasiva en el encuentro de la búsqueda de un símil que vea la realidad como él.
En su búsqueda sólo hallará el rechazo por su pesimismo qué parte de su misma médula hasta un final inflexivo, quizá su final, en el que tendrá mucho para decir o nada, según el pensamiento del lector al cual, quiera o no, apunta a ser ése alguien al que intenta encontrar.
Quizá no sea una novela para todos dada su naturaleza pesimista, aunque sí posee una prosa sincera y directa. Pudiendo tocar en cierto grado, o al menos rozar o tender hacia, la marginalidad del individuo al que el "azar" de la vida le tiró malas cartas, si bien no las peores, y que no encuentran salida a su delirio encarnado.
Keijo Kangur
Keijo nos recibe con un escupitajo en una ¿autoficción?, la cual relata la vida, ¿su vida?, en el transcurso de unos días. El personaje, alcohólico empedernido y frustrado con la vida rebosará la diatriba nihilista de la existencia, parafraseando autores o nombrando obras de corte existencialista, nihilistas o sumamente pesimistas con respecto a la existencia per se del humano y en sí de él mismo.
Recorriendo la ciudad de bar en bar, buscando ahogar su amargura existencial con cerveza, whisky en ocasiones, desfilará primero de forma pasiva en el encuentro de la búsqueda de un símil que vea la realidad como él.
En su búsqueda sólo hallará el rechazo por su pesimismo qué parte de su misma médula hasta un final inflexivo, quizá su final, en el que tendrá mucho para decir o nada, según el pensamiento del lector al cual, quiera o no, apunta a ser ése alguien al que intenta encontrar.
Quizá no sea una novela para todos dada su naturaleza pesimista, aunque sí posee una prosa sincera y directa. Pudiendo tocar en cierto grado, o al menos rozar o tender hacia, la marginalidad del individuo al que el "azar" de la vida le tiró malas cartas, si bien no las peores, y que no encuentran salida a su delirio encarnado.
March 21, 2023
Originally I was drawn to the book because it described my drifting phase in my twenties. I spent most of it numbing myself and partying away the pain..
What I really enjoyed about this book is how accurate he describes just about everything. From how phoney people are, where they put on different personas( which is Latin for masks) and pretend to care when in truth your on your own mostly as a genuine authentic self actualized man or woman.
So many great quotes from this book from philosophers I've never heard from. I especially like the letter he writes in the end where he goes on a four page rant about everything.
What I really enjoyed about this book is how accurate he describes just about everything. From how phoney people are, where they put on different personas( which is Latin for masks) and pretend to care when in truth your on your own mostly as a genuine authentic self actualized man or woman.
So many great quotes from this book from philosophers I've never heard from. I especially like the letter he writes in the end where he goes on a four page rant about everything.
May 14, 2022
El protagonista de este relato nos cuenta su punto de vista nihilista de la vida, la sociedad, el universo, etc., y de sus planes para acabar con su vida mientras lo acompañamos una semana recorriendo bares, viendo cómo intenta relacionarse, sin éxito, con otras personas.
Debido a este ir y venir de situaciones casi idénticas, fue algo aburrido. Aún así, lo más destacable fueron varios puntos de vista que cita de filósofos pesimistas, en particular el concepto de la sublimación, que me pareció muy interesante. Básicamente es tomar todo tu dolor y convertirlo en arte para no desfallecer.
Debido a este ir y venir de situaciones casi idénticas, fue algo aburrido. Aún así, lo más destacable fueron varios puntos de vista que cita de filósofos pesimistas, en particular el concepto de la sublimación, que me pareció muy interesante. Básicamente es tomar todo tu dolor y convertirlo en arte para no desfallecer.
March 15, 2022
Brilliantly expresses the human predicament. I'll definitely reread this!
This book articulates what a lot of people with a deeply pessimistic view of life would like to express themselves were they not to consider the task of setting it all down on paper as ultimately futile so not worth the effort.
This book articulates what a lot of people with a deeply pessimistic view of life would like to express themselves were they not to consider the task of setting it all down on paper as ultimately futile so not worth the effort.
October 5, 2022
Everything was okay until I see the sentence yes capitalism is sucks but what’s alternate part....
April 18, 2023
Very earthy and raw
I enjoyed this book as it read like a diary. He meets lots of different people, drinks too much and is ultra negative but also in a sad charming way.
I enjoyed this book as it read like a diary. He meets lots of different people, drinks too much and is ultra negative but also in a sad charming way.
January 8, 2024
I related so much to this character, it felt like the book was about me . The only difference is, I still think that there's hope.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews