Preface to the English Edition
The importance of translating this book into English cannot be overstated, particularly in today’s intellectual landscape. As the Argentine philosopher Julio Cabrera once argued, “Philosophy outside the English language today simply does not exist.” This observation highlights the undeniable role English plays in the global dissemination of philosophical thought. To ensure that the essence of the original work is preserved, I have relied on the translations of quotations from books as I encountered them in Russian. This means that while the words may differ from their original counterparts, the essence of what I understood from these texts remains intact. Consequently, readers may sometimes find that certain quotes do not correspond directly to the primary sources.
This book is a tribute to the philosophy of Peter Zapffe, and its translation into English was an endeavor I took on immediately after its release in Russian. I hope that my thoughts will resonate not only with a Russian-speaking audience but also with English-speaking readers. The importance of this translation lies in its ability to convey the essence of the original text while making it accessible to a broader audience. I took Cabrera’s observation to heart, and in order to ensure the meaning of the original is preserved, I translated quotes based on how I read them in Russian. Here, the focus is not on perfect accuracy but on how I understood these ideas. This may sometimes lead to discrepancies between the quotes and their original sources.
I would also like to note that I was the sole editor and publisher of this book, and I did the translation myself. Because of this, I apologize in advance if you come across any errors in the text. I trust that the essence of the ideas presented will come through, despite any imperfections in the process.
If you enjoy stories with happy endings, you would be better off choosing another book. This one will not bring you comfort on dark days when you feel down; there will be no joy here. I could suggest that you run to the bookshelf for a story about a “happy elf,” for example. But if you are not simply seeking peace at any cost and instead are looking for a broader perspective on the reasons behind your anxieties and fears, then this book is for you.
To begin, I would like to introduce myself to the reader. Though I am an economist by education, I have never considered myself a philosopher or a scientist. However, from an early age, I have been irresistibly drawn to the unresolved questions of existence. In my search for answers, I turned to religion, philosophy, and science. The existential crises I encountered led me to reflect on the meaning of life, the nature of death, and whether our existence has a sacred purpose. Over the years, however, I have come to realize that these questions remain unanswered.
Religious doctrines and many philosophical movements, such as existentialism, sometimes seemed to me overly optimistic in their view of the world. On the contrary, pessimists appeared to be much more honest realists. The result of these reflections was my immersion in the works of pessimistic philosophers and nihilists. Today, I am known in certain circles as a translator of the philosophical works of Peter Zapffe, including his On the Tragic, as well as articles dedicated to his legacy. Additionally, I have worked on translations of works by thinkers such as Emil Cioran and David Benatar.
My interest in their philosophy was driven by a sense of incompleteness. After reading nearly all the literature available in Russian, I could not shake the feeling that pessimism, however true it seemed, still left too many questions unanswered. These thoughts were reinforced when I became acquainted with the works of Thomas Ligotti. His work The Conspiracy Against the Human Race then struck me as a logical continuation of Schopenhauer’s ideas. It was through Ligotti that I discovered Peter Zapffe..
However, it soon became clear that there was almost nothing known about Zapffe’s philosophy in Russian, and only a short essay, The Last Messiah, had been translated from his works. The situation is only slightly better in the English-speaking world: Zapffe’s main work, On the Tragic, was only translated from Norwegian in recent years. When its English translation was published in 2024, I realized that waiting for a Russian edition was likely pointless. Inspired by the example of Ligotti, whose book is still only available in Russian in an amateur translation, I decided to begin my own work.
My translation of On the Tragic into Russian was completed in December 2024 and is distributed for free online. This book completely changed my perspective. I realized that the very sense of incompleteness that had haunted me in all existential philosophies stemmed from their limitations, from the boundaries they set for themselves – boundaries that Zapffe did not impose on himself.
