The last interview with one of the most famous and controversial philosophers of our time, this is an engaging introduction to the challenging oeuvre of Jacques Derrida.
A few weeks before his death, Derrida said: 'I am at war with myself, it's true, you couldn't possibly know to what extent . . . I know that it is what keeps me alive, and makes me ask precisely . . . how does one learn to live?'
With death looming, Jacques Derrida, one of the most famous philosophers of the 20th century - known as the father of 'deconstruction' - sat down with Le Monde journalist Jean Birnbaum. They revisited his life's work and his impending death in a lyrical and moving final interview.
In this meditation upon life, love and politics, Derrida reveals what has motivated his writing. He speaks openly about the impact of being Jewish and an outsider in French society. He discusses the relationship between philosophy and society and explains his hopes for a revitalised international politics.
Derrida was the last of a generation of French philosophers who reshaped the humanities and philosophy itself. This interview is a touching final look at his long and distinguished career.
'Living like dying is not something one can learn. All one can really do is see it coming. Together.'
About Jacques Derrida Jean Birnbaum
Jacques Derrida was one of the most well-known philosophers of the last century, whose work continues to have a profound influence today. He wrote about meaning and truth, literature and politics, forgiveness and hospitality, mourning and death, and influenced many disciplines outside philosophy. At the time of his death in 2004, he was the Director of Studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and Professor of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.
Among Derrida's most well-known works are Writing and Difference, Politics of Friendship and The Gift of Death. This book includes an extensive bibliography of his works in English.