Miguel de Unamuno

Tragic Sense of Life Miguel de Unamuno

Tragic Sense of Life is a book of philosophical reflection which considers the nature and transience of humanity, the trials - physical, societal and emotional - of existence, together with death and the afterlife. A superb treatise whereby the author's intellect is unleashed upon a variety of questions, this text combines the passionate liveliness found in Unamuno's fictional efforts with a thought-provoking gravitas cast upon life and living. The towering ambitions of man are shown to pale in the face of limitations and reality: immortality, the greatest aspiration of all, is but an impossibility. The title, in alluding to tragedy, foretells the author's argument that life and human nature have a strong streak of absurdity. In the final chapter, the author compares the classic story of Don Quixote - the man whose mad ambition led him to ride his horse in four directions at once - with everyday human life.