Existential crisis

ENThe essay explores the nature of human existence and the basis of all existentialisms in Spanish and Russian literatures. Such literatures appear in the times of crisis – the parting of the ways between two social orders or life worlds; they depict figures which reflect and compare such life worlds and are asked to make a choice between them not in terms of the way they categorize nature or humans, but by raising the question which of the worlds allows the human Self to act honorably, truthfully, with full respect of others and oneself. This suggests that the true existential Self cannot be adequately understood in terms of social categories and systems of values, but only in concrete existential action, revealing the unconditional 'self and other worth'. Keywords: value, Self worth, freedom, crisis, life world, comparison, transcendental reflection.