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Jacques Derrida: A Biography
At the time of his death in 2004, Jacques Derrida was arguably the most influential and the most controversial thinker in contemporary philosophy. Deconstruction, the movement that he founded, has received as much criticism as admiration and provoked one of the most contentious philosophical debates of the twentieth century. Jacques Derrida: A Biography offers for the first time a complete biographical overview of this important philosopher, drawing on Derrida's own accounts of his life as well as the narratives of friends and colleagues. Powell explores Derrida's early life in Algeria, his higher education in Paris and his development as a thinker. Jacques Derrida: A Biography provides an essential and engaging account of this major philosopher's remarkable life and work.
- GenresPhilosophy
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 18, 2015
For his part, Derrida does not fear immigration, but he fears the kinds of fear that immigration raises in people.
Jason Powell provides less a biography than a critical bibliography, offering thumbnails and outlines of the themes and discourses of most of Derrida's published effort. There are no interviews nor excerpted letters. There is consequently a blind spot concerning the philosopher's personal life. Perhaps the omission is of benefit. One recalls Heidegger on Aristotle, he was born, he thought and then he died. Despite these limitations I found this exploration fascinating. Without undue elaboration Powell examines the embrace of Derrida's ideas - the supposed "Yale School" and others, particularly Richard Rorty as well as those vehemently opposed -- including those in Wolin's Heidegger=Hitler camp. I did glean some remarkable details about Derrida which truly enchant when coupled with Amy Ziering Kofman's spellbinding documentary which I recently purchased after a dozen youtube viewings. I hope to continue my uneasy mazurka with the Maestro and continue to focus on his theoretical relations with Heidegger and explore his reading of Freud.
Jason Powell provides less a biography than a critical bibliography, offering thumbnails and outlines of the themes and discourses of most of Derrida's published effort. There are no interviews nor excerpted letters. There is consequently a blind spot concerning the philosopher's personal life. Perhaps the omission is of benefit. One recalls Heidegger on Aristotle, he was born, he thought and then he died. Despite these limitations I found this exploration fascinating. Without undue elaboration Powell examines the embrace of Derrida's ideas - the supposed "Yale School" and others, particularly Richard Rorty as well as those vehemently opposed -- including those in Wolin's Heidegger=Hitler camp. I did glean some remarkable details about Derrida which truly enchant when coupled with Amy Ziering Kofman's spellbinding documentary which I recently purchased after a dozen youtube viewings. I hope to continue my uneasy mazurka with the Maestro and continue to focus on his theoretical relations with Heidegger and explore his reading of Freud.
March 1, 2016
Powell's structure is chaotic. He arbitrarily jumps from period (yes, period) to period without an obvious logic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews