The Unquiet Grave: A Word Cycle by Palinurus

By Cyril Connolly

Categories: Literature & Fiction

English critic Cyril Connolly wrote this personal journal during the Second World War under the pen name Palinurus. It combines reflections on love, loss, art, literature and the failure of his own ambitions with quotations from writers such as Pascal, Montaigne and Chamfort. Arranged in a cycle of seasons, the book is a melancholy, witty meditation on how to live and create in dark times.

Recommended by 1 person

• Shane Parrish: “To sum up this is “a highly personal journal written during the devastation of World War II, filled with reflective passages that deal with aging, the break-up of a long term relationship, and the horrors of the war.” The collection of aphorisms and quotations from European literature is extensive for such a short work”