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Matches: A Light Book
Through the prism of criticism, the modalities of thinking form a spectrum: on one end, systematic exposition, on the other, the fragment. It is the latter, fragmentary approach that distinguishes Matches—an investigation that does not focus on a single theme developed in all its aspects but, rather, on a constellation of themes in art, literature, philosophy, science, social and political thought, as well as the human in relation to history and nature.
S.D. Chrostowska pursues here in performative fashion her research into the history of critique from the Enlightenment onward. Her choice of the fragment—in the tradition of writing represented by Gracián, Chamfort, Lichtenberg, and, closer to us, Nietzsche, Adorno, and Benjamin—does not, however, stem from an attempt to comprehend the contemporary world, which can only be done after the fact. Instead, served by an expressive and incisive style, Matches foregrounds the necessary elements for a critique of our time, capturing them in their contradictory and complementary relations. It situates itself under the sign of the future, reviving the spirit of utopia, reminding us that the last word need not belong to the present.
Foreword by Alexander Kluge.
S.D. Chrostowska pursues here in performative fashion her research into the history of critique from the Enlightenment onward. Her choice of the fragment—in the tradition of writing represented by Gracián, Chamfort, Lichtenberg, and, closer to us, Nietzsche, Adorno, and Benjamin—does not, however, stem from an attempt to comprehend the contemporary world, which can only be done after the fact. Instead, served by an expressive and incisive style, Matches foregrounds the necessary elements for a critique of our time, capturing them in their contradictory and complementary relations. It situates itself under the sign of the future, reviving the spirit of utopia, reminding us that the last word need not belong to the present.
Foreword by Alexander Kluge.
- GenresCanadaFictionLiterature
540 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2015
About the author
S.D. Chrostowska
8 books15 followersS.D. Chrostowska is an instructor of Social and Political Thought at York University in Canada. Her essays, short fiction, and articles have appeared in The Believer, The Review of Contemporary Fiction, The Hedgehog Review, New German Critique, Public Culture, New Literary History, SubStance, boundary 2, among others.
Chrostowska was raised in Warsaw and divides her time between Toronto and Paris.
Chrostowska was raised in Warsaw and divides her time between Toronto and Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2015
Exceptionally intelligent, provocative in form/content, at times humorous, sly, and polemical. This work of fiction, with an unnamed narrator, was a great way to end 2015 and begin 2016.
Since writing those lines a second edition, with some more material, has come out from the same publisher.
Since writing those lines a second edition, with some more material, has come out from the same publisher.
January 16, 2018
Absolutely brilliant. Real review coming.
March 2, 2021
If you enjoy reading that challenges you to think, you should read this book of aphorisms and fragments.
You can get it for free via punctum books.
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You can get it for free via punctum books.
Why not?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews