Philosophy is essentially an embodiment of wonder at life itself and the pursuit of questions pertaining to life is an ongoing never-ending quest that is unique to human beings. Why do we exist? What makes a life good? Is there free will? Does god exist? Is there life after death? Am I real? Is our universe real?... 

As long as there is life, curious and inquisitive minds like that of 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen, the central protagonist in the novel Sophie’s World, continue to yearn for answers to these and more such existential questions.

Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder who once taught philosophy to high school students has managed to squeeze over two centuries worth of philosophy into this novel within a novel. For over two decades, the book has been introducing the concepts of Western philosophical thought to readers across the globe employing language that is easy to understand.

Sophie is the central character of the book, which begins symbolically in the Garden of Eden, perhaps Gaarder’s nod to the Biblical tale of the beginning of creation.  “…At some point something must have come from nothing…” 

The reader innocuously begins to read about the life of Sophie who one day suddenly receives two postcards which then grows into a series of letters. The first couple of which are simply questions — Who are you? And where does the world come from?
These are enough to start the beginning of a philosophy course delivered to the schoolgirl’s mailbox in parcels addressed to one Hilde Moller Knag. Readers continue reading with Sophie and gain knowledge about the origins of philosophy in Greece sometime in 600 BC, the evolution of Nordic myths, the Sophists and so on covering all important periods in history and the evolution of thought. 

While the lessons themselves are sometimes a bit dull to read, the author manages to hold readers’ attention and build anticipation by introducing fun questions such as ‘Why is Lego the most ingenious toy in the world.’
 
Sophie’s mother and her best friend Joanna Ingebritsen are the characters central to Sophie’s life and we are told that she does not confide even in them initially but later lets in Joanna into her secret. Her mother thinks that Sophie has a secret crush!

When Sophie begins to feel restless about the identity of the letter’s author, we are introduced to another character Hermes, the Labrador dog who delivers the letters. This is again Gaarder’s nod to Hermes, the Greek God whose main job is to be a messenger.

A videotape in her mail introduces Sophie and us readers to the character of the teacher Alberto Knox. Knox relies on technology to create a lesson with props as the background of modern-day Athens in ruins and also yesteryear Athens in all its glory, complete with Plato and Socrates. The DVD film has been shot to allow the characters of the two ancient Greek philosophers to talk directly to Sophie and ask her questions like how a baker could cook identical cookies? 

By this time the readers along with Sophie have discovered Alberto Knox’s cabin in the woods, filled with things that puzzle her. After this point, the readers are in for a spin as author Gaarder introduces Hilde Moller Knag, also a 14-year-old girl, who has the exact same birthday as Sophie. It is only well later that readers realise that the story of Sophie is actually just that — a story that is being read by Hilde and written by her father Albert Knag, who works for the UN and is posted in Lebanon. Albert has modelled Alberto on himself while Sophie is modelled on his daughter Hilde. Talk about reality being fiction.
    
Picking through the threads can prove a bit confusing for the reader at first, especially when Sophie, a fictional character in collaboration with Alberto Knonx begins to take things into their own hands and ‘exercises her free will’. She refuses to be a character in a novel and hijacks the story to create her own world. 
Will the fictional world meet the real world? What happens? You will certainly have to read the book to know more about it and its fascinating set of philosopher characters.

The book can indeed be taken as a compact introduction to philosophy, which is why it might be as popular today among readers worldwide today as it was when it was first published in 1995. The book whose full title reads Sophie’s World — A Novel about the History of Philosophy was originally written in Norwegian and has been translated into English by Paulette Moller.