A Short History of Decay (book)

Emil Cioran
Born	Emil Mihai Cioran (1911-04-08)8 April 1911 Resinár, Austria-Hungary (present-day Rășinari, Romania)
Died	21 June 1995(1995-06-21) (aged 84) Paris, France
Era	20th-century philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Continental philosophy Philosophical pessimism Existentialism
Main interests	Suicide, nihilism, ethics, literature
Influences Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph de Maistre, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Klages, Georg Simmel, Oswald Spengler, Nae Ionescu, Lev Shestov
Influenced Thomas Ligotti, Nick Land

Emil Cioran (Romanian: [eˈmil t͡ʃoˈran] ( listen); 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, and frequently engages with issues of suffering, decay, and nihilism. Among his best-known works are On the Heights of Despair (1934) and The Trouble with Being Born (1973). Cioran's first French book, A Short History of Decay, was awarded the prestigious Rivarol Prize in 1950. The Latin Quarter of Paris was his permanent residence and he lived much of his life in isolation with his partner, Simone Boué.

Cioran was born in Resinár (Rășinari), Szeben County, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His father, Emilian Cioran, was an Orthodox priest. His mother, Elvira (née Comaniciu), was originally from Veneția de Jos, a commune near Făgăraș.