Jostein Gaarder published Sophie’s World in 1991 and one sales figure routinely attributed to it 40 million copies. That is likely overstated to some point, but it hardly matters: that it sold more than a million is extraordinary. In fact, Sophie’s World may very well be the single most unlikely global literary phenomenon in the history of bestseller lists. It almost literally have everything going against it. It was written by a writer who was completely unknown outside Scandinavia. Depending on the edition, it clocks in anywhere between 400 and 500 pages. The subtitle is “A Novel about the History of Philosophy” and chapter titles include “Democritus” and “Hellenism.”
And yet, there it is. Not just one of the best-selling novels of the 1990’s, but one which trekked far beyond merely inspiring a film adaptation. It has since been adapted into a computer game, board game, TV miniseries and has inspired musicians and artists. Sophie’s World is a book-within-a-book includes as characters philosophers ranging from Plato to Camus and from Voltaire to Karl Marx. Along the way, readers also cross paths with Ebenezer Scrooge, Little Red Riding Hood and a certain little bear called Pooh. Oh, and Sophie has a cat named after the tiger from The Jungle Book.
Is the popularity of the book a little easier to understand now? Sophie’s World is not a difficult book to read. That is to say, the style of the author is very accessible. Anyone who has taken a philosophy course will confirm that when it comes to writing style, philosophers as a whole are not the easiest bunch. So it would be logical to assume that “a novel about the history of philosophy” would be a difficult read for many if not most. It is not. As for the philosophies that the novel confronts, these two are stripped of the details and arcane points of divergence and presented for their big picture questions. The one element of the book which almost certainly contributes above all others to the widespread popularity is also a perfectly find explanation for why it has inspired game designers, musicians, artists and filmmakers.
There is just so much going on inside the pages of this big dense story that it would seem almost impossible to find a person who can find absolutely nothing that speaks to them. Even disregarding the mechanics of plot external to the historical overview of philosophy, there is enough within those discussion of philosophy to either confirm one’s worldview or stimulate new questions and avenues of thoughtful exploration. To put it as simply and possible: Sophie's World is everybody's world do yourself a solid and find your place within it.
