How to find joy in a meaningless world - The Evenings by Gerard Reve

How do we find joy in a meaningless world?

When Gerard Reve published his debut novel called 'The Evenings' in 1947 it was heavily criticized by many. People said it was bleak and cynical. 'The Evenings' still grew out to be the Bible of the Dutch post-war generation.

In the novel we follow Frits van Egters, a 23 year old office worker who tries to fill his evenings by wandering around the city, visiting friends and telling those friends inappropriate jokes. He constantly has thoughts about sickness, death and destruction. Still, Frits manages to find joy in his life. How? By finding life's absurdities, and embracing them fully.

Time stamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Background
03:14 Albert Camus
04:03 Obsession with sickness
07:01 Manipulating and controlling
10:03 Bickering with parents
11:25 Conclusion

Music used:
Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

"Wisps of Whorls" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...