The Trouble With Being Born

The Trouble with Being Born (French: De l'inconvénient d'être né) is a 1973 philosophy book by Romanian author Emil Cioran. The book is presented as a series of aphorisms, meditating primarily on the painful nature of being alive, and how this is connected to other subjects, such as God, metaphysical exile, and decay. In 2020, The Trouble with Being Born became a Penguin Modern Classic. Initially written in French, the 1976 English translation by Richard Howard received the PEN Translation Prize. Usage of aphorism Cioran's decision to write entirely in aphorisms was a departure from his previously established writing style. On the Heights of Despair was composed of essays, about a page each, which while different to most conventional philosophy, also separates it from The Trouble with Being Born. Speaking about his decision to write in such a manner, Cioran said he used aphorisms because "Explaining bores me terribly. When I've written aphorisms it's because I've sunk back into fatigue – why bother? And so, the aphorism is scorned by 'serious' people, professors look down upon it. When they read a book of aphorisms, they say, 'Oh, look what this guy said ten pages back, now he's saying the contrary. He's not serious.' I can put two aphorisms that are contradictory right next to each other. It's not at all gratuitous." The Trouble with Being Born also makes direct reference to aphorisms. The book describes aphorisms as "Fire without flames. Understandable that no-one tries to warm himself at it."