What do you think?
Rate this book
Mortalism: Readings on the Meaning of Life
The conviction that death means everlasting extinction, with no possibility of an afterlife, is described by Heinegg as "mortalism." In this unique anthology, he has collected more than 50 selections of poetry and prose that reflect this view.
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
18 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
xx-dnf-skim-reference
March 5, 2025Mostly very old, most of which I skimmed.
Anyte said: "When this man, Manes, lived, he was a slave,/ Dead he is worth as much as Darius the Great."
Michel de Montaigne: "It's uncertain where death is waiting for us; let's wait for it everywhere. Premeditation of death is premeditation of freedom. Those who have learned how to die have unlearned how to be a slave. Knowing how to die sets us free from all subjection and constraint. There is nothing evil in life for those who have clearly realized that being deprived of life is not an evil."
Reminded me that I have enjoyed the verse of Thomas Hardy every time I've seen it, and so I have bought from thriftbooks a collection of his poems (my libraries only have his novels, of which I'm not fond).
Virginia Woolf's The Death of the Moth is terrific, makes me want to try again to read her longer works.
Introduced me to Philip Larkin with several short pieces; I have requested a collection of his poems. *Ambulances* notes women observing a neighbor being taken away: "Poor soul, they whisper at their own distress..." *Next, Please* is quite smart, and a joy to read aloud - I did so to my young adult son and he admired the poem himself, & admitted he thinks about the theme to himself at times.
A random line that caught my fancy: "What comes dearly is dearly held." Richard Selzer
Anyte said: "When this man, Manes, lived, he was a slave,/ Dead he is worth as much as Darius the Great."
Michel de Montaigne: "It's uncertain where death is waiting for us; let's wait for it everywhere. Premeditation of death is premeditation of freedom. Those who have learned how to die have unlearned how to be a slave. Knowing how to die sets us free from all subjection and constraint. There is nothing evil in life for those who have clearly realized that being deprived of life is not an evil."
Reminded me that I have enjoyed the verse of Thomas Hardy every time I've seen it, and so I have bought from thriftbooks a collection of his poems (my libraries only have his novels, of which I'm not fond).
Virginia Woolf's The Death of the Moth is terrific, makes me want to try again to read her longer works.
Introduced me to Philip Larkin with several short pieces; I have requested a collection of his poems. *Ambulances* notes women observing a neighbor being taken away: "Poor soul, they whisper at their own distress..." *Next, Please* is quite smart, and a joy to read aloud - I did so to my young adult son and he admired the poem himself, & admitted he thinks about the theme to himself at times.
A random line that caught my fancy: "What comes dearly is dearly held." Richard Selzer
Displaying 1 of 1 review