"the poison in every puff is killing him, like all smokers, but the pleasure comes from slowly dying."
i recently moved to spain and the onslaught of cigarette smoking here inspired me to read "cigarettes are sublime" by richard klein (in the kantian sense of sublimity). its wonderful meditation on the literary, philosophical, and cultural history of smoking, all from the perspective of an addict trying to quit. in that sense, it reads sort of like a eulogy. klein introduces a ton of fascinating ideas, such as cigarettes functioning as clocks and ways to escape time, the function of cigarettes on screen, and the relationship between women's liberation and smoking cigarettes.
very beautifully written and the author has a hilarious wit! if you like philosophy you should check it out!
to other americans, it may or may not undo the years of successful anti-cigarette messaging 🫣