The Effort to Fall

The Effort to Fall marks the debut work of Christopher Spranger. In this work, written in his early twenties, Spranger lets his imagination roam a wide range of philosophical concerns, including issues of love, faith and belief, the role of writing in culture, and subjects ranging from history, music, and art to philosophy itself. In the tradition of the great aphorists from Pascal to Wilde, from Henri Michaux to de Chazal, Spranger brings wit and new meaning to his subjects. “The ideal aphorist? A man with the wit of an Oscar Wilde and the soul of a Gilles de Rais.”

A book of pithy and brilliant observations, The Effort to Fall is also a deep meditation on the relationship between society and destruction, on relation itself as a precursor of silence and death. Given the wisdom of this small book, it is hard to imagine it as the author’s first publication.