Pascal Mercier
Born: 01-01-1944
Pascal Mercier is the pen name of Peter Bieri, a Swiss author and philosopher born in 1944. Renowned for his introspective narratives, Mercier gained international acclaim with his novel "Night Train to Lisbon." Holding a PhD in philosophy, Bieri has also taught at several prestigious universities. His works often explore themes of identity, language, and existentialism, drawing readers into thoughtful contemplation and emotional depth.
Book summaries for books written by Pascal Mercier
Quotes
We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.
We call a man irrational when he acts in a passion, when he cuts off his nose to spite his face. But a passion is a passion, whether it's one of love or hate. We're all irrational.
Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.
We leave something essential of ourselves behind wherever we go.
We are homesick most for the places we have never known.
The place we occupy in the present is always the place where we died.
Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events.
A person's life consists of a collection of events, the last of which could also change the meaning of the whole.
The only way to avoid error is to detect it, that's the only way to progress.
The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God. What we try to keep for ourselves is just what we are sure to lose.
We can only understand what we already know.
To understand something is to know how to use it.