Nausea
Jean-Paul Sartre · 1905–1980 · France
Originally La Nausée (French)
Why it matters
Roquentin, alone in a provincial town, is overcome by the sheer gratuitous existence of things: a chestnut root becomes a metaphysical event. Existentialism's founding novel: philosophy made visceral.
At a glance
existentialistphilosophical novel
Difficulty 6/10slow pace256 pagesDiary form carrying dense phenomenological and philosophical argument.
Deep dive
The chestnut root gets all the attention; the quieter turn is what a jazz record convinces Roquentin he might do about it.
