The two answers to life that seem mutually exclusive but perhaps are not.

It's like matter and anti-matter. They are polar opposites, yet they both exist in the universe.

In life, we often encounter such pairs of answers. For example, success and failure. We tend to think of them as completely different and incompatible.

However, upon closer examination, we may realize that failure can be a stepping stone to success. It provides us with valuable lessons and experiences that help us grow and improve.

Similarly, love and hate are also看似 mutually exclusive emotions. But sometimes, the line between them can be blurred.

We may love someone deeply and then, due to certain circumstances, feel a sense of hatred or resentment towards them.

The key is to recognize that these seemingly opposite answers to life are not as black and white as they appear.

They can coexist and even interact with each other in unexpected ways. By keeping an open mind and being willing to explore both sides, we can gain a deeper understanding of life and ourselves.

McCarthy and Sábato are the only authors who possess the remarkable ability to speak of the end of the universe, of humanity, and of the soul, from the overwhelming and dark daily life.

Their works delve deep into the profound mysteries and existential questions that plague the human condition. Through their masterful storytelling and incisive insights, they offer a unique perspective on the nature of reality and our place within it.

McCarthy's writing is characterized by its spare, yet powerful prose, which captures the essence of the human experience in the face of chaos and destruction. Sábato, on the other hand, employs a more psychological and philosophical approach, exploring the inner workings of the human mind and the depths of the soul.

Together, they form a duo of literary giants, whose works continue to inspire and challenge readers to this day. Their ability to speak of the end of the universe, of humanity, and of the soul, from the mundane and often harsh reality of our daily lives, is a testament to their genius and the enduring power of literature.

Cormac McCarthy is my favorite author.

Whenever I approach his works that I haven't read yet, I do so with extremely high hopes. And this particular piece did not disappoint me in the slightest.

However, I would not recommend this to just anyone who has never read anything by CM before. It is truly a great and short piece, but it is specifically written for the hardcore fans.

As CM is getting older, we can only hold onto the hope that he will grace us with some more wonderful books before the inevitable occurs.

His writing style is so unique and captivating, and every word he pens seems to carry a profound meaning. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us in the future.

I will continue to devour all of his works, eagerly anticipating each new release.

4.6/5

This is a remarkable back and forth dialogue or play that vividly conveys the distinct differences in culture and world outlook between two men.

The conversation unfolds in a highly engaging manner, captivating the audience from the very beginning. It is filled with fantastic exchanges and thought-provoking moments that keep the listeners or readers on the edge of their seats.

As the dialogue progresses, it gradually builds up to a powerful climax that hits right in the gut. The differences in their perspectives become more and more pronounced, leading to a profound realization about the complexity of human nature and the impact of culture on our beliefs and values.

Overall, this dialogue/play is a masterful work that effectively explores the themes of cultural diversity and the clash of worldviews, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

“Why, is your life as you had expected?”

“Not at all. I have had what I needed instead of what I wanted, and this is roughly the greatest fortune in the world.”

This short dialogue presents an interesting perspective on life and fortune. Often, we have our own expectations and desires, but sometimes life surprises us and gives us something different. The person in the dialogue seems to have realized that having what one needs can be a greater blessing than getting exactly what one wants. It makes us think about how we view our own lives and what we consider to be true fortune. Maybe we should be more grateful for the things we have and not always focus on what we lack. After all, in the end, having our basic needs met and being healthy and happy might be the most precious things in life.

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"Sunset Limited", by Cormac McCarthy, published by "Pergament Press", translated by Stanimir Yotov, was for me the first encounter with an author whom I have long wanted to read, but the fact that his name is so popular always put me off. I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to its reputation or that I wasn't ready for the great Cormac McCarthy.

Personally, I can't define the genre or format of the work. In some places, it is mentioned that it can be read as a play, but it is still not considered as such.

There is no plot. The two people, the Black Man and the White Man, are talking in a room. It's amazing what a conversation they have for just 100 pages. Here, I can already say that I am among those who are amazed by McCarthy.

Their encounter takes place in the New York subway when the Black Man saves the White Man from suicide and the two go to a room. Between the pages of the book, we will witness the most memorable conversations you have ever been present at. This conversation switches from topic to topic, but interestingly, the jargon of New York is not lost. Philological questions are subtly raised from the pages, questions about religion, being, prison, love, faith, place in society, and many others.

The White Man is a person who thinks that the only logical end to his daily life is suicide, while the Black Man tries to show the opposite point of view. Well, everyone, according to their being and understanding, will find which of the two points of view suits their worldview. The theme of faith and God is presented very elegantly. It rarely happens to read a book that is not banal and preachy and that rationalizes religion so well.

Whether the meaning of life is to jump under the Sunset Limited and whether McCarthy is right, you will find out if you read the book. I have yet to watch the movie, which I'm almost sure won't disappoint me, as it stars Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson.

This book is a thought-provoking piece that challenges the reader's perspective on life, death, and everything in between. It makes you question your own beliefs and forces you to look at the world from different angles. McCarthy's writing style is unique and captivating, drawing you in and making you feel as if you are a part of the conversation. "Sunset Limited" is not an easy read, but it is definitely a rewarding one.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a deep and meaningful read. It will stay with you long after you have finished the last page and will make you think about the big questions in life. So, pick up a copy of "Sunset Limited" and prepare to be amazed.

In our lives, nothing is simply black or white. That's what we are taught.

"Sunset Limited" will force you to see the world in black and white.

Everything is black or white. Each of us tries to drown somewhere in the nuances of others, but the purest and simplest truth is much more straightforward.

Everyone has their own compass that they follow. But you don't move northeast when following the arrow. Since it says forward, you move forward. That's what you believe, that's what you follow.

It's that simple.

McCarthy has written everything in black and white. There are no nuances. There is only direct speech. Two images. No names. The Black and the White sit and talk at the table in the Black's residence, minutes after the White has tried to commit suicide at the garage after trying to catch Sunset Limited. And the Black has saved him.

Now the two sit opposite each other and talk. The Black and the White. Two souls with completely opposite views of the world, of life, of humanity, of meaning. A philosophical conversation, purified of the heaviness of the phrases. Purified of the excessive dramatism. A struggle between black and white, but not in the trivial sense that we put into these two categories. No. This is a struggle of opposites. These are the two absolute poles in direct confrontation, without aggressive behavior, without a thirst for superiority. Each believes so deeply and extremely in their own views that they realize the impossibility of breaking through the opponent's defense. Each judges others by themselves. But that doesn't stop them from giving everything of themselves until the last breath, to try.

This is a book of extremes.

The White, who believes that the only meaning of life is to end it. And the Black, who discovers meaning in every gesture and role of the people around him.

Cormac poses questions on the table that each of us has an opinion on - faith and atheism, the hope of redemption and the courage to end your own life. And he does it in such an elegant and intelligent way that at the same time he hardens the diamond strength of your own beliefs and at the same time puts you in the shoes of the other for a short time, enough to see the strength of his beliefs.

I don't know the genius of Cormac McCarthy. This is the first encounter with him. An encounter that will make me return to this so short and yet so inspiring work for a long time and many times.

An encounter that brings me back to some of my favorite poems:

We argue

two with a lady

on the topic:

"Man in the new time".

An encounter that undoubtedly raises many questions. What will each of us choose - the black or the white. It depends on us.

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The Sunset Limited is an extraordinarily powerful piece of literature. It is a profound dialogue centered around the themes of suicide and religion. There are two main characters. One is a black man who has endured a truly terrible life. He spent years in jail for committing heinous crimes, including murder and other unspecified atrocities. Now, he lives with almost nothing, yet he is striving to do God's will and assist his fellow man. He "rescues" a white Professor of English who had attempted to throw himself in front of a train named The Sunset Limited.

I identify with both of these characters. Fortunately, although I can recall other times, these days I am much more like the "black" character than the "white" one. Each man presents his position with great eloquence. At times, it is humorous; at times, it takes your breath away; and at times, it strikes you to the core with its truth.

At one point, in a scathing condemnation of the brutality underlying all existence and its utter meaninglessness, the white man says, "Whatever the darker story is, that's the one that's usually true." This single sentence could serve as a rather accurate description of McCarthy's writing. The play keeps you fully engaged, hoping that the white man will abandon his resolve to commit suicide, yet knowing that a sudden conversion to the kind of salvation that the black man repeatedly and confidently refers to would be extremely difficult to believe. The black man surrenders his power, allowing God to fill him and speak through him, waiting for his mouth to be filled with divinely inspired words to save the white man. However, the white man has too much control over himself and is completely impervious to any form of spiritual thinking. His rigid intellectualism leads him to a dead end where the only solution he sees is death, a death that he views positively and desires. While much of the play has a certain warmth due to the black man's character and his sense of humor, by the time The Sunset Limited approaches its conclusion, the white man's caustic remarks about the "human condition" and his longing for death astonish the reader with the power of their perversity and the revelation of Cormac McCarthy's rarely unrestricted full powers of language as the ultimate art.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their coffee strong and their whiskey straight. This is a book that delves into the big issues of life and death. It never resorts to allegorization, nor does it apologize for its characters' ways of speaking or their belief in the message they are conveying.

It is a thought-provoking and deeply engaging work that will leave a lasting impression on the reader.

The world can never be better than what we allow it to be. A white man and a black man are having a discussion in a popular apartment in Brooklyn. They represent reason and faith, an aspiring suicide and the man who saved him, a professor and a man of humble origins who at a certain point in his life believed he had been assigned a mission by God. The story is written in the form of a dialogue, with the voices of WHITE/BLACK alternating. The black man's voice initially seems almost like a form of psychological violence towards the white man, and it is only as the discussion unfolds that the reasons for his behavior become better understood. The insurmountable problem for me was the form of the work, the plethora of obvious questions and useless answers, the feigned tension to make the confrontation believable. Direct speech in a book, in small doses, can be pleasant; an entire book conceived in this way is either a comedy or a tragedy and in both cases either you are Shakespeare or perhaps it is better if you choose a different form. Then if the translator adds his own touch and abolishes the subjunctive to restore the slang of Bed-Stuy and sacrifices himself to the imperfect, boredom is added to irritation. If someone were to ask what it has to do with...

I was just wondering if you had ever thought about it. If this might perhaps have something to do with the fact that you have become like this.

It has nothing to do with it but it can't have nothing to do with it, at most it can have something to do with it. I would say that it is not a centered translation. I would have given one star if the final pages had not hit me with an unprecedented force. It is always worth finishing books, they are like life: you never know what surprises they have in store for you (in this case it was a very short book and the effort was minimal).

White

You give up the world line by line. Stoically. You make choices, one after another, as if they are nothing but simple decisions. But then, one day, you wake up and realize that your courage is nothing but a farce. It doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. You've become an accomplice in your own annihilation, and there seems to be nothing you can do to stop it. Every action you take closes a door somewhere ahead of you, narrowing your path and limiting your options. And finally, there is only one door left, and you have no idea what lies beyond it.

Black

That’s a dark world, Professor.

White

Yes, it is. But it's the world we live in.

Black

What’s the worst thing ever happen to you?

White

Getting snatched off a subway platform one morning by an emissary of Jesus. It was a strange and terrifying experience, and it changed my life forever.

Black

I’m serious.

White

So am I. It may sound crazy, but it's the truth.

Instantly relatable, McCarthy crafts his 'Beckett-Waiting for Godot-like' masterpiece, inviting you to deeply mull over and endlessly reflect on it. It's pure genius.

The profound words he utters are like a clarion call. "The whole point of where this is goin—which you wanted to know—is that they aint no jews. Aint no whites. Aint no niggers. People of color. Aint none of that. At the deep bottom of the mine where the gold is at there aint none of that. There’s just the pure ore. That forever thing. That you dont think is there. That thing that helps to keep folks nailed down to the platform when the Sunset Limited comes through. Even when they think they might want to get aboard. That thing that makes it possible to ladle out benediction upon the heads of strangers instead of curses. It’s all the same thing. And it aint but one thing. Just one."

He further delves into the human condition, stating, "You give up the world line by line. Stoically. And then one day you realize that your courage is farcical. It doesnt mean anything. You’ve become an accomplice in your own annihilation and there is nothing you can do about it. Everything you do closes a door somewhere ahead of you. And finally there is only one door left."

And then, he contemplates the concept of death, saying, "You cant be one of the dead because what has no existence can have no community. No community. My heart warms just thinking about it. Silence. Blackness. Aloneness. Peace. And all of it only a heartbeat away." These words linger in the mind, making us question our very existence and the meaning of it all.

There is an existential debate unfolding between two characters intriguingly named "White" and "Black". "White" embodies the logical, rational, yet pessimistic nihilist view of the world. On the other hand, "Black" represents the faith-driven, optimistic perspective. In a sense, although there is no conclusive evidence to back this up, it appears to be an in-depth exploration of Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy. It's a battle between the "endure and survive" perception of reality and the "why not just end it" nihilism as symbolized by jumping the Sunset Limited, McCarthy's metaphor for mortality. It takes some time to reach a boiling point, but it's a quick read overall. The ending makes the effort worthwhile. Ultimately, it's a two-hour read (or perhaps even less) that offers rewards to the philosophically inquisitive reader and any enthusiast of McCarthy's work. It's truly a great read.