1 August 2009 / ZAMAN BEJAN MATUR,
[Jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader] Abdullah Öcalan requested “The Eternal Loser” (Entretiens) by Emil Michel Cioran from his lawyers. Another book on the list he requested is Japanese philosopher Kojin Karatani's “Transcritique: On Kant and Marx.”
Since harsh weather conditions have prevented his lawyers from crossing the Marmara Sea, the books and the lawyers could not get there. Öcalan's recent reading list seemed to me quite meaningful. Those who know Cioran also know that the reason lying behind his being “the eternal loser” is eternal pessimism. He is said to be the most pessimistic person of his age. He looks at life with an incredible suspicion. Anemia and insomnia are his major topics. He talks about the disadvantages of being born. Öcalan's desire to read a scholar who interprets the world with a feeling of such pessimism could be a sign of a change in his intellectual interests.
