LEADER
Samuél Lopez-Barrantes is a writer and musician. He lives in Paris, where he leads historical walks on modernism, existentialism, and the Nazi Occupation. He will be leading the walking tours for our September 2026 tour They Came to Paris. He holds an MA in social theory from University College London, specializing in Holocaust studies and Viktor Frankl’s theory of the “will to meaning,” and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the co-founder of Kingdom Anywhere, an independent anglophone publisher in Paris. His latest novel, The Requisitions (Kingdom Anywhere, 2024) is a historical metafiction set between the contemporary USA and Nazi-occupied Poland. After buying back the rights to his debut novel, Kingdom Anywhere republished a definitive 10th Anniversary Edition Slim and The Beast in 2025, an adult American fable set in North Carolina. Find out more at samuellopezbarrantes.com.
RECOMMENDED READINGS
- “The Origins of Fascism“, a four-part essay by Samuél Lopez-Barrantes
- “Existentialism Is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Introduction to The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The three readings above will be provided via PDF.
- The Requisitions by Samuél Lopez-Barrantes
(Kingdom Anywhere, 2023)
ISBN-13: 979-8989580309
This series will be read-as-you-go, as you will read and discuss part of the work each week.
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION
Ask most people what they think “existentialism” means and they’ll answer, “there’s no meaning to existence,” a fundamental misunderstanding of a philosophical idea that might just be as old as humanity itself, but was only codified into the human lexicon after the Nazis were defeated in Paris.
In the last few years, “fascist” and “Nazi” have become umbrella terms for any and all criticisms levied against conservatives, liberals, and moderates alike. In this age of essentialization, alternative facts, political division, and self-serving narratives, understanding the actual meaning of these terms, and their dehumanizing effects, is essential to understanding the historical context in which existentialism was born as a response to fascism.
This interdisciplinary seminar provides an overview of the historic appeal of fascism and the ability of numerous existentialists to make sense of the post-Nazi era. By studying three foundational psychological theories of the human condition (Sigmund Freud’s the pleasure principle, Alfred Adler’s the will to power, and Viktor Frankl’s the will to meaning), this seminar will leave participants with a far better understanding of how existentialism’s essential proposal, existence precedes essence, is as important now as it was in 1945.
While tracing the origins of fascism through a psychological lens helps illuminate why so many people remain attracted to fascistic authoritarianism, understanding the appeal of existentialism as a response to fascism can help locate a more optimistic worldview in a disillusioned world.
The three thinkers of the Viennese Schools of Psychoanalysis each recognized the human desire for pleasure and power, but in contrast to Freud and Adler, Viktor Frankl, an Auschwitz survivor and existentialist, believed that human behavior cannot be reduced to the simple satisfaction of drives or gratification of instincts. In a universe bereft of clear signposts, Frankl’s existentialist approach to psychotherapy suggests “we are not free from life’s conditions, but we are free in how we respond.”
In this three-part series spanning history, philosophy, and literature, Samuél will provide a historical overview of the origins of Italian fascism and Nazism, as well as an understanding of the great anti-fascist philosophy, existentialism, culminating in a discussion of his latest book, The Requisitions, an anti-fascist novel set in Nazi-occupied Poland that follows Viktor, a disillusioned academic, Elsa, a captive Gestapo secretary, and Carl, a nostalgic policeman whose fixation with the past is pushing him towards unspeakable cruelty.
This seminar combines lecture and discussion and will accommodate a larger group than our standard online seminars. Each session will start with a 45-minute presentation by Samuél, followed by 45 minutes of open discussion.
For each participant we register, Melanie pledges a US$10 donation to the National Immigrant Justice Center. (From her own money, not Classical Pursuits’.)
PRACTICAL DETAILS
All online programs are priced in Canadian dollars.
Once you register, you’ll get an order confirmation. We’ll send you the Zoom link and a welcome letter about 3 weeks before the course starts.
This seminar is a great way to deepen your tour experience! Thinking about joining our September 2026 They Came to Paris tour? Book the tour and we’ll apply the seminar cost toward your booking.
Classical Pursuits will record this series, and make each session privately available to registered participants for up to two weeks after that session.
Online seminar payments are nonrefundable. Discount codes must be used at the time of purchase.
This online seminar is open to a maximum of 50 registrants. See full terms and conditions for Classical Pursuits online seminars. By registering for a seminar, you agree to abide by our code of conduct.
Image credits: Alfred Adler, Isidoricaaa7/Wikimedia Commons; Viktor Frankl, Neozoon/Wikimedia Commons; Jean-Paul Sartre, Moshe Milner/Wikimedia Commons;
