Blanchot: Extreme Contemporary

by Leslie Hill

Placing Blanchot at the centre stage of writing in the twentieth century, Maurice Extreme Contemporary sheds new light on Blanchot's political activities before and after the Second World War.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

316 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 1997

Reviews

[Alex Obrigewitsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having once again read this foundational text by Leslie Hill - inestimable reader of Blanchot, amongst others - I am struck once more by how unavoidable this book is for any reader serious about engaging with Blanchot. It stands with those of Madaule, Collin, and Bident (to name but a few), and maintains its contemporaneity with the futurity of something like "Blanchot studies," despite its age. Whether one is first approaching Blanchot or is seeking further means of thinking and questioning his texts, this book remains ever to hand, ready to provide a careful reader with another perspective on these obscure, though infinitely rich, works of thought. As extreme as my praise of this book may appear, it is entirely deserving. Many a deep and life-altering traversal of the question of writing has been opened by this book - of this, I can speak certainly of one alone, the chance surrounding which does nothing to efface the debt that it has established, and shall never be adequately fulfilled...