Diogenes Laërtius
Lives of Eminent Philosophers: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
Émile ZolaLourdesOne August morning, the national pilgrimage leaves Paris for Lourdes, with whole trains full of the sick and of pilgrims. On board are Marie de Guersaint, a young woman who can no longer walk, and Father Pierre Froment, her childhood friend, who became a priest but no longer…Same genre
PlatoThe RepublicSocrates, a provocative philosopher, engages in a dialogue with several interlocutors to define justice and imagine the ideal city. Through these exchanges, he explores education, power, truth, and the role of rulers. He defends the idea of a government guided by knowledge and…Same countrySame genre
Niccolò MachiavelliThe PrinceAn ambitious ruler seeks to seize and maintain power in an unstable and dangerous world. Through concrete examples and direct strategies, he learns to manipulate alliances, anticipate threats, and impose his authority. The author lays bare the mechanisms of power, where…Same genre
Karl MarxThe Communist ManifestoWritten on the eve of the 1848 revolutions, this short text presents history as a succession of struggles between classes. Marx and Engels describe the rise of the bourgeoisie, the way industry transformed labour, and the formation of a working class they hold bound to…Same genre
ChateaubriandMemoirs from Beyond the Grave, Volume 4 (1815–1828)This fourth volume of the Memoirs from Beyond the Grave covers the years 1815 to 1828. Chateaubriand, writer and statesman, tells of the Hundred Days, which he spends in Ghent with King Louis XVIII, of the Battle of Waterloo heard from afar, and then of Napoleon’s exile and…Same genre
William WareAurelianA historical novel in letters by the American writer William Ware, published in 1838 as a sequel to “Zenobia”. In Rome, after the fall of Palmyra, the nobleman Lucius Manlius Piso writes to his friend Fausta, who has stayed in the East. He tells her about Queen Zenobia,…Same genre
José RizalRizal's Own Story of His LifeA collection published in Manila in 1918 by Austin Craig for the schoolchildren of the Philippines. In simplified language, it brings together texts in which José Rizal tells the story of his own life. He describes his childhood in Kalamba, on the shore of a large lake, his…Same genre
George OrwellHomage to CataloniaIn December 1936, Orwell arrives in Barcelona intending to write newspaper articles, but almost at once he joins a P.O.U.M. militia and leaves for the Aragon front. He describes the cold, the lice, the boredom of the trenches and the strange equality of a revolutionary army.…Same genre
Lyndon OrrFamous AffinitiesSeveral historical and literary figures are brought together through their notable relationships, marked by attraction, conflict, and mutual influence. Each pair reveals a unique dynamic combining passion, ambition, and rivalry. The narrative explores these connections from a…Same genre
ThucydidesPeloponnesian WarThucydides, historian and witness, recounts the major conflict between Athens and Sparta, revealing the deep mechanisms of war. Through battles, strategies, and political speeches, he analyzes human decisions and their consequences. Ambitions, fears, and rivalries shape a…Same countrySame genre
James GrantOne of the Six HundredAt the end of 1853, Newton Norcliff, a young lieutenant in a British lancer regiment, learns that his regiment will leave in the spring for war in the East. He spends his last leave in Scotland, at his uncle’s house, near Lady Louisa, whom he loves and who is also courted by…Same genre
G. P. R. JamesForest DaysAn English historical novel. In the mid-1260s, England is torn between King Henry III and the barons led by Simon de Montfort. Between Pontefract and Nottingham, Hugh de Monthermer, a young knight and nephew of an old earl who has sided with the barons, loves Lucy de Ashby,…Same genre