Georges Bataille (1897–1962), philosopher, writer and founder of the influential literary review Critique, had an enormous impact on the thinking of Foucault, Derrida and Baudrillard, and his ideas have been the subjets of recent debates in a wide range of disciplines.

In this acclaimed intellectual biography Michel Surya enters into a complicity with Bataille’s oeuvre to provide a detailed exposition of its themes as they developed against the backdrop of his life. The essence of Bataille’s life and work were defined by transience and effacement, reflecting a will both to contest the impermanence of things and to confront death. His troubled childhood, his relationships with surrealism and his paradoxical position at the heart of twentieth-century French thought are enriched here with testimonies from Bataille’s closest acquaintances, making this a vivid and detailed study. Revealing the contexts in which he worked, and the ways in which his work and ideas took shape, Surya sheds essential light on a figure Foucault described as “one of the most important writers of the century.“

“Such is Surya”s intimacy with this material that each of his short, thoughtful chapters could serve as an introductory essay on Bataille.” — Independent

“[A work] of passion, erudition, intelligence and suffering. This impressive biography rises to the level of Bataille's work and his fascination with death.” … Le Monde

“Michel Surya's book seems to me to be the beste introduction to the work and personality of Georges Bataille.” — Le Novel Observateur

Michel Surya is a writer, philosopher, editor and director of the journal Lignes. The French edition of this book was awarded the Prix Goncourt for biography.

Paper
ISBN-13: 978 1 85984 153 2
US$29.95 / £14.99 / CAN$37.50