Born in Romania in 1911, E. M. Cioran moved to Paris when he was twenty-six and lived there until his death in 1995. A maverick and iconoclast, he has been called "the last worthy disciple of Nietzsche? as well as a brilliant aphorist and stylist. His other books include Anathemas and Admirations, Drawn and Quartered, A Short History of Decay, The Temptation to Exist, and The Trouble with Being Born, all available in paperback from Arcade.

Richard Howard has translated most of Cioran's books into English. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and critic as well as an award-winning translator. He lives in New York City.

Eugene Thacker is the author of several books, including After Life and Horror of Philosophy. He teaches at The New School in New York City.