Silenus is the mentor and companion of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. "Drunken Silenus" by American philosopher and art critic Morgan Mace begins with an analysis of the painting of the same name by Peter Paul Rubens, then turns into a fascinating study of philosophical pessimism, passing through the centuries: from the bleating of a goat, torn apart in ancient mystery cults, to "The Birth of Tragedy" » Friedrich Nietzsche; from the Bronze Age catastrophe and the Trojan War to the Second World War. Unabashedly dark and funny at the same time, this book will appeal to all lovers of art and discussions about the ultimate questions of human existence.