
Encounters with Kierkegaard
A Life as Seen by His Contemporaries
Soren Kierkegaard(Author)
Princeton University Press
3rd Edition
Published on 21. July 1998
Book
Paperback/Softback
378 pages
978-0-691-05894-8 (ISBN)
Description
Encounters with Kierkegaard is a collection of every known eyewitness account of the great Danish thinker. Through many sharp observations of family members, friends and acquaintances, supporters and opponents, the life story of this elusive and remarkable figure comes into focus, offering a rare portrait of Kierkegaard the man. Often viewed by his contemporaries as a person who deliberately cultivated an air of mystery and eccentricity, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) has been, then and now, a subject of great speculation. His startling attack on the established church, his broken engagement with a young woman from a respected family, and his searing criticisms of literary figures--from the editors of The Corsair to Hans Christian Andersen--are among the acts that brought him much notoriety during his short lifetime. Yet arriving at a sense of the philosopher's personality and motives behind his behavior has been a difficult task. He left no memoirs of autobiography, but in the enormous cannon of his published writings, the author and the person Soren Kierkegaard is problematically present in a welter of disguises.
An indispensable path to understanding what he was like as a person, maintains Bruce Kirmmse, is through the observations of his contemporaries. These accounts, ranging from the writings of Meir Aron Goldschmidt, editor of The Corsair, to the recollections of Kierkegaard's fiancee, are organized around the major episodes of the philosopher's life. They enable us to glimpse, among many things, his spiritual and intellectual development, to get a sense of what it was like to be the object of his friendship or his wrath, and to examine various persons' opinions about his relationship with his young fiancee. The memories of this woman, Regine Olsen, who later married Fritz Schlegel, are among the most moving passages: they reveal her profound suffering, her personal understanding of Kierkegaard, and the satisfaction she ultimately felt, knowing that "he took her with him into history." This collection of first-hand accounts invites the reader to compare and interpret a wealth of fascinating stories, and in the end forms an intriguing "do-it-yourself" biography for both the scholar and general reader.
An indispensable path to understanding what he was like as a person, maintains Bruce Kirmmse, is through the observations of his contemporaries. These accounts, ranging from the writings of Meir Aron Goldschmidt, editor of The Corsair, to the recollections of Kierkegaard's fiancee, are organized around the major episodes of the philosopher's life. They enable us to glimpse, among many things, his spiritual and intellectual development, to get a sense of what it was like to be the object of his friendship or his wrath, and to examine various persons' opinions about his relationship with his young fiancee. The memories of this woman, Regine Olsen, who later married Fritz Schlegel, are among the most moving passages: they reveal her profound suffering, her personal understanding of Kierkegaard, and the satisfaction she ultimately felt, knowing that "he took her with him into history." This collection of first-hand accounts invites the reader to compare and interpret a wealth of fascinating stories, and in the end forms an intriguing "do-it-yourself" biography for both the scholar and general reader.
Reviews / Votes
"Kierkegaard left no memoirs or autobiography... However, many of his contemporaries wrote down observations about him. All of these that are still available have been collected into this impressive volume. They cover all the major episodes of his life and provide an invaluable glimpse into his spiritual and intellectual development in all its agony and glory... Meticulously researched and beautifully produced."--Peter C. Hodgson, Religious Studies Review "Meticulously researched and beautifully produced."--Religious Studies ReviewMore details
Edition
3. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
616 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-05894-8 (9780691058948)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Søren Kierkegaard | Bruce H. Kirmmse
Encounters with Kierkegaard
A Life as Seen by His Contemporaries
E-Book
04/2021
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€62.49
Available for download
Persons
Bruce H. Kirmmse is Professor of History at Connecticut College and has served as the director of the Department of Soren Kierkegaard Research at the University of Copenhagen. He is the author of Kierkegaard in Golden Age Denmark and serves on the editorial board of Kierkegaardiana and the advisory boards of the Soren Kierkegaard Research Centre in Copenhagen and the Howard and Edna Hong Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
Content
List of IllustrationsPreface and AcknowledgmentsMapsAbbreviations and Editor's RemarksCh. 1"The Fork": Childhood and School3Ch. 2A Young Intellectual: The University Years19Ch. 3Soren and Regine: The Engagement and Afterward33Ch. 4The Young Writer (ca. 1840-1845)55Ch. 5Goldschmidt and the Corsair Affair65Ch. 6After The Corsair: The Peripatetic and Controversialist of the Later 1840s89Ch. 7The Moment Comes: Final Opposition99Ch. 8Illness, Death, and Burial116Ch. 9Soren and the Family137Ch. 10Five Portraits by Contemporaries193Ch. 11Hans Brochner on Kierkegaard225Appendix A: The Kierkegaard Family Tree253Appendix B: Peter Christian Kierkegaard on Soren Kierkegaard256Notes269Bibliography343Index353