Lyric Philosophy

by Zwicky

Two parallel texts, on facing pages, run through this unique volume. The left-hand text is Zwicky's exploration of the definition of a work as "philosophy," and a discussion of the notion of lyric. The right-hand text is "a scrapbook" of quotes from other authors, snippets of musical text, poems, and a handful of b&w photos. She presents the whole as "a new sort of overview" of the work of Wittgenstein, and an enquiry into Freud's concept of "primary process." Paper edition (unseen), $25. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: Philosophy, Poetry, Nonfiction, Theory, Writing

566 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[James Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poet, philosopher, and musician Jan Zwicky has written (actually, revised in this 2d edition) one of the most intelligent books I've encountered in a long time. A work of philosophy, its fascinating and original form is that Zwicky presents an aphoristic formulation having to do with the nature of philosophy which, long or short, stands alone on the page. On the facing page she presents the published work of other philosophers, writers, poets, and musicians which demonstrate the worth of her statement. Her use of lyric is to give clarity to the nature of philosophy and the philosophical in our lives. She uses thinkers from many fields to illustrate her ideas, but her greatest influence would appear to be Wittgenstein, quoted many times. I don't mind saying I found this a challenging read. Still, there were times I could not put it down because Zwicky's aim is to clarify, not to intimidate, so understanding does begin to creep in and begin to entice you deeper into the fascinating lyric discourse. I happen to love this kind of book. It's one I can read the rest of my life without ever getting to the bottom of it, through all those layers of ideas.

[Michael W · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect work of the philosophical life. A book of great love and acceptance. A vessel of integrity.

[Chris Westbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really one of the best philosophy books I've read in the last twenty years: interesting, profound, intriguing, and useful. This book deserves to be more widely known.

[Pigeonpost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading multiple times.