ISSN: 2641-9130
Authors: Saia G*
Carlo Michelstaedter (Gorizia, 1887-1910) left a singular trail in the Italian philosophy of the early 20th century. Almost one hundred and eleven years after his demise, his suicide, one can still discuss the influence of the Italian thinker, the vitality of their topics and the depth of his thought. It is important to know, somehow, the figure that subsists behind the thinker of Persuasion and Rhetoric. For this purpose, a tour of his philosophical work, letters, poetry and dialogues is not enough; it help us to shed light on the fascinating creation of the last nihilism doctor, the last great diagnosis of the deep lack of sense that carried the last part of the 19th century and inaugurated the first decade of the 20th century. Michelstaedter must be defended from merely suicidal readings. Like an elegy, perhaps even an ode, remembering the Italian philosopher in these times remains a fruitful, unfinished and extremely mysterious undertaking.
Keywords: Persuasion; Rhetoric; Nihilism; Pessimism; Suicide; Michelstaedter
