Jacques Derrida

Reviews / Votes

"...a strong overview of the work and placing it in a framework that illuminates the development of Derrida's thought over the forty years of his career."- Nancy J. Holland, Notre Dame Philosophical Review, June 27, 2007 'In attempting an intellectual biography of Derrida [Powell] is doing something unique ... He has a good grasp of the ideas circulating around deconstrution, and articulates them in a suitably reader-friendly manner without sacrificing any of their complexity or compromising their integrity.' Dr Karl Simms, Director of Studies, School of English, University of Liverpool * Blurb from reviewer * This concise biography of Derrida encompasses his life and works. Beginning with Derrida's early years in Algeria, Powell quickly moves to Derrida's intellectual development and the range of philosophical thought to which he is responding. Powell explores Derrida's writings in the context of his life and times, showing the continuity without reducing Derrida's complexities to simplified method or doctrine. Powell draws evidence from Derrida's texts, comments from colleagues and friends, and Derrida's own descriptions of his life garnered from published interviews.Since personal correspondence is not yet available, the biography lacks a private look into Derrida and instead presents him as a mystery. Much more revealing is the commentary on Derrida's oeuvre, his philosophical positions, and his response to other philosophers, both predecessors and contemporaries. Those encountered range from Husserl and Althusser to Foucault and Lacan to Nietzsche and Heidegger. The clarity of discussion of Derrida's philosophy makes this work quite accessible. The book has an unnecessary apologetic tone that reveals more about the author's milieu than Derrida's recognized importance to the discipline of philosophy. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates; general readers. * Choice *