Simone Weil, legendary French philosopher, mystic and political activist who died in England in 1943 at the age of thirty-four, belongs to a select group of thinkers: as with St Augustine, Pascal and Nietzsche, so with Weil a single phrase can permanently change one's life. In this book, Palle Yourgrau follows Weil on her life's journey, from her philosophical studies at the Ecole Normale Superieure, to her years as a Marxist labour organizer, her explosive encounter with Leon Trotsky, her abortive attempt to fight against ...
Read More
Simone Weil, legendary French philosopher, mystic and political activist who died in England in 1943 at the age of thirty-four, belongs to a select group of thinkers: as with St Augustine, Pascal and Nietzsche, so with Weil a single phrase can permanently change one's life. In this book, Palle Yourgrau follows Weil on her life's journey, from her philosophical studies at the Ecole Normale Superieure, to her years as a Marxist labour organizer, her explosive encounter with Leon Trotsky, her abortive attempt to fight against Franco in the Spanish Civil War, her mystical experience in the town of Assisi. We see how Weil's struggle to make sense of a world consumed by despotism and war culminated in her monumental attempt, following St Augustine, to re-imagine Christianity along Platonistic lines, to find a bridge between human suffering and divine perfection. How seriously, however, should Weil's ideas be taken? They were admired by Albert Camus and T. S. Eliot, yet Susan Sontag wrote famously that 'I can't imagine more than a handful of the tens of thousands of readers she has won ...really share her ideas.' If this is really true, Palle Yourgrau must count as one of the handful. Though he brings to life the pathos of Weil's tragi-comic journey, Yourgrau devotes equal attention to the question of truth. He shines a bright light on the paradox of Simone Weil: at once a kind of modern saint, and a bete noire, a Jew accused of having abandoned her own people in their hour of greatest need. The result is a critical biography that is in places as disturbing as Weil's own writings, an account that confronts head-on her controversial critique of the Hebrew Bible, as well as her radical rejection of the received wisdom that the Resurrection lies at the heart of Christianity. @font-face { font-family: Times New Roman; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Times New Roman; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
Read Less
Add this copy of Simone Weil to cart. $5.86, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion Books.
Add this copy of Simone Weil to cart. $5.86, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion Books.
Add this copy of Simone Weil (Critical Lives) to cart. $5.93, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion Books.
Add this copy of Simone Weil (Critical Lives) to cart. $11.27, new condition, Sold by SurplusTextSeller rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion Books.
Add this copy of Simone Weil (Critical Lives Series) to cart. $15.38, like new condition, Sold by Pistil Books Online rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Realtion Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Philosophy Book is in excellent condition. Binding is solid and square, covers have sharp corners, exterior shows no blemishes, text/interior is clean and free of marking of any kind. Simone Weil, legendary French philosopher, political activist and mystic, died in 1943 at a sanatoriumin Kent at the age of 34. During her brief lifetime, Weil was a paradox of asceticism and introversion, yet with a teaching career and active participation in politics. She was a contemporary of Simone de Beauvoir and admired by writers such as Albert Camus. Palle Yourgrau outlines Weil's life and work, and demonstrates how she tried to apply philosophy to everyday life. Her preoccupation with the worldwide oppression of the working class found expression in what she once called her magnum opus, On Oppression and Liberty. Following a powerful religious experience in 1937, Weil's writings took a mystic turn and her fascination for world religions became more explicit in her work. Simone Weil offers an engaging presentation of the human drama of Weil's life and philosophy. This book is an engaging presentation of the life and work of the legendary French philosopher, political activist and mystic Simone Weil. Palle Yourgrau assesses Weil's controversial critique of Judaism, and her radical re-imagination of Christianity; and analyses how Weil's personal struggles influenced her mature philosophy.
Add this copy of Simone Weil to cart. $23.02, new condition, Sold by booksXpress, ships from Bayonne, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion Books.
Add this copy of Simone Weil (Critical Lives) to cart. $25.00, very good condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Reaktion.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Near Fine. First edition. 187pp. Illustrated from black and white photographs. Light edgewear with a creased corner on the cover, else near fine in wrappers.