Uma Temporada Com Montaigne

Un été avec #1

by Antoine Compagnon

Les gens seraient étendus sur la plage ou bien, sirotant un apéritif, ils s’apprêteraient à déjeuner, et ils entendraient causer de Montaigne sur le poste. Quand Philippe Val m’a demandé de parler des Essais sur France Inter durant l’été, quelques minutes chaque jour de la semaine, l’idée m’a semblé très bizarre, et le défi si risqué que je n’ai pas osé m’y soustraire. D’abord, réduire Montaigne à des extraits, c’était absolument contraire à tout ce que j’avais appris, aux conceptions régnantes du temps où j’étais étudiant. À l’époque, l’on dénonçait la morale traditionnelle tirée des Essais sous la forme de sentences et l’on prônait le retour au texte dans sa complexité et ses contradictions. Quiconque aurait osé découper Montaigne et le servir en morceaux aurait été aussitôt ridiculisé, traité de minus habens, voué aux poubelles de l’histoire comme un avatar de Pierre Charron, l’auteur d’un Traité de la sagesse fait de maximes empruntées aux Essais. Revenir sur un tel interdit, ou trouver comment le contourner, la provocation était tentante. Ensuite, choisir une quarantaine de passages de quelques lignes afin de les gloser brièvement, d’en montrer à la fois l’épaisseur historique et la portée actuelle, la gageure paraissait intenable. Fallait-il choisir les pages au hasard, comme saint Augustin ouvrant la Bible ? Prier une main innocente de les désigner ? Ou bien traverser au galop les grands thèmes de l’œuvre ? Donner un aperçu de sa richesse et de sa diversité ? Ou encore me contenter de retenir certains de mes fragments préférés, sans souci d’unité ni d’exhaustivité ? J’ai fait tout cela à la fois, sans ordre ni préméditation. Enfin, occuper l’antenne à l’heure de Lucien Jeunesse, auquel je dois la meilleure part de ma culture adolescente, c’était une offre qui ne se refuse pas. » En 40 chapitres, Antoine Compagnon interprète Montaigne d'une façon claire, limpide, drôle. De l'engagement jusqu'au trône du monde en passant par la conversation ou l'éducation. Professeur au collège de France, ce grand spécialiste de l'autobiographie nous présente un Montaigne estival qui permet de bronzer notre âme. L’été avec Montaigne bénéficiera d'une forte promotion sur l'antenne de France Inter (Messages et émissions).

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, France, History, Books About Books, Biography

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2013

About the author

Professeur de littérature française à la Sorbonne, à l'université Columbia de New York et au Collège de France

Né le 20 juillet 1950 à Bruxelles, dans une famille de six enfants. Son père, le général Jean Compagnon fait la guerre de 1940 puis les guerres d’Indochine et d’Algérie. Orphelin de mère à quatorze ans, il passe son enfance à Londres, Tunis, Washington et fait sa classe de rhétorique dans un lycée militaire de la Sarthe.

Ancien élève de l'Ecole polytechnique, ingénieur des ponts et chaussées et docteur ès lettres, Antoine Compagnon est maître de conférences à l'Ecole polytechnique (1978-1985), professeur à l'Institut français du Royaume-Uni à Londres (1980-1981), à l'université Columbia à New York depuis 1985, à l'université du Mans (1989-1990) et à l'université Paris 4 (1994-2006). Il est également membre du Conseil national de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche (Cneser) de 2002 à 2007 et de la Commission Pochard sur la revalorisation du métier d'enseignant (2007).

Professeur de littérature française au Collège de France depuis 2006, il est membre, entre autres, du comité de rédaction des revues telles que Critique, The Romanic Review, Bulletin de la Société des amis de Montaigne, The French Review, Genesis, Cambridge Studies in French, L'Année Baudelaire, Revue d'histoire littéraire de la France, Les Cahiers du judaïsme.
Spécialiste de Montaigne et de Proust, il écrit de nombreux ouvrages sur la littérature.

En 2012, il reçoit le titre de Professeur Honoris causa d'HEC : « La littérature, ça paye ».

Antoine Compagnon est chevalier de la Légion d'honneur et commandeur des Palmes académiques.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_...

Reviews

[Nika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book consists of 40 short chapters, each dealing with one of Montaigne's essays from his famous book The Essays.

In each chapter, the author, a professor of French literature, quotes the passages from The Essays and then gives a brief commentary on the issues discussed. The themes vary, and at least some of them relate to pertinent features of human societies. Compagnon briefly looks at a historical context and explains the ideas behind the essays or how he sees them. He also provides some facts about the life and times of Michel Montaigne, without going into detail.
The French philosopher is known for his appreciation of skepticism and his praise of a stoic approach to life. In the midst of a brutal political and religious conflict, Montaigne sought refuge by isolating himself in his estate, where he could read and write and hope to be at peace with himself.
Before retiring, he occasionally served as a mediator between Catholics and Protestants. Montaigne's stance on the sectarian conflict in his country shows that you can reject both extremist narratives. In some cases, you should avoid taking sides and instead focus on dialogue and reaching a compromise.

Many pages in the Essays paint a picture of daily life in wartime — "civil war, the worst kind—in which we are never sure if we will wake up tomorrow as free men, and we are obliged to leave our fate in the hands of chance, counting on luck for our survival."
The book is based on Compagnon's radio talks. Given its length and format, one has to keep in mind that it is not meant to be an in-depth study of the subject or a biography of Montaigne.

One of the positives of this book is that it might awaken the reader's interest in Montaigne, his philosophy, and his time and age. Those were turbulent times, with wars of religion devastating France and its people.

Overall, it was a nice and easy read. I underlined quite a lot while reading.
Here are a few highlights from the book.

Montaigne argues that there is no better education than traveling. Exploring unknown places can teach us skepticism by showing us "the richness of nature" and "the relativity of customs and belief." Michel himself greatly enjoyed riding horseback.

In his writing, Montaigne tends to go straight to the point, rejecting stylistic effects. His ideal language is "concrete, toothsome, physical." It can be summed up as “the same in writing as in speaking.” Writing was for Montaigne "the great register, the guestbook of check-ins and check-outs."

Montaigne was one of the earliest critics of colonialism.

Doubt is often a clear sign of intelligence.
Montaigne does not deny the truth, but he doubts that it is accessible to man alone.
Famously skeptical, he chose as his motto “Que sais-je?” (“What do I know?”), and as his emblem, a set of scales. But ignorance is no reason for despair.
One of the most significant thinkers of the French Renaissance warns us not to be dishonest with ourselves.

Keeping a certain sense of humor or irony is commendable and sometimes essential.

Montaigne comments on the teaching practices: “We should rather examine, who is better learned, than who is more learned. We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void.”

[Maziyar Yf · Rating 3 out of 5]

تابستان با مونتنی کتابی‌ست از آنتوان کومپنیون، نویسنده و استاد ادبیات فرانسوی، او کوشیده در قالب چهل گفتار کوتاه و مستقل، خواننده را با اندیشه‌های میشل دو مونتنی—فیلسوف نامدار قرن شانزدهم فرانسه—آشنا کند. این گفتارها هرکدام به یکی از موضوعات بنیادین زندگی از نگاه مونتنی می‌پردازند؛ موضوعاتی همچون مرگ ؛ دوستی، صداقت، نوشتن، و هنر خوب زیستن. نویسنده با زبانی ساده ، تفکرات مونتنی را از دل جستارها بیرون کشیده و در قالب تأملاتی کوتاه، در اختیار خوانندهٔ امروزی می‌گذارد. کومپنیون این گونه کوشیده تا خواننده را با دنیای مونتنی آشنا کند .
او دربارهٔ مرگ می‌نویسد و نشان می‌دهد که مونتنی آن را بخشی طبیعی از زندگی می‌دانست؛ چیزی که باید با آن آشتی کرد، نه گریخت. به دوستی می‌پردازد و از رابطهٔ بی‌نظیر مونتنی با اتین دولا بوئسی می‌گوید؛ دوستی‌ای که مونتنی آن را عمیق‌تر و شریف‌تر از عشق می‌داند.
در بخش‌هایی به نوشتن پرداخته ، مونتنی نوشتن را نه برای آموزش یا تبلیغ، بلکه راهی برای خودکاوی و شناخت خویشتن می‌داند. بدن و بیماری در نگاه مونتنی جایگاه خاصی دارد؛ او به‌جای امید بستن به پزشکی ناپایدار زمانه‌اش، بیشتر به درک درونی از بدن خویش متکی بوده. مونتنی دربارهٔ صداقت در سیاست هم نظر دارد؛ او برخلاف عادت رایج زمانه، معتقد بوده صداقت بر فریب‌کاری برتری دارد.
او از تغییر و نوآوری نیز می‌گوید، اما نه با شور انقلابی، بلکه با احتیاط و در بستر جنگ‌های مذهبی و ناپایداری‌های سیاسی عصر خود. در نگاه او، هر نوآوری الزاماً پیشرفت نیست. مونتنی مرتب از خود می‌پرسد چه می‌دانم؟ و این جمله را به‌عنوان شعار فلسفی خود برمی‌گزیند و آن را جهل فاضلانه می داند. او از تردید نمی‌ترسد بلکه آن را راهی برای آزاد ماندن ذهن و تفکر می‌داند.
مونتنی به ظاهر و باطن نیز توجه می‌کند؛ او خودش را بی‌نقاب معرفی می‌کند، با تمام ضعف‌ها و تردیدهایش. آزادی اندیشه برایش حیاتی‌ست و از تعصب گریزان است، چه مذهبی و چه سیاسی . باور دارد آزادی فکری، سنگ‌بنای زیستن خوب است. کومپنیون به سفر، کتاب‌خوانی، ساده‌زیستی، آزادی فردی، و حتی تجربهٔ گذر زمان هم پرداخته؛ تجربه‌هایی که هم فلسفی‌اند، هم انسانی، هم روزمره.
در نهایت، تابستان با مونتنی می‌کوشد پلی باشد میان اندیشه‌های یک فیلسوف قرن شانزدهمی با ذهن ناآرام انسان مدرن؛ اما شاید این پل در نهایت بیش از آن‌که برپایهٔ نیازهای واقعی امروز ساخته شده باشد، بر نوستالژی گفت‌وگویی از دست‌رفته بنا شده باشد . مونتنی، با همهٔ عمق انسانی‌اش، از جهانی می‌آید که دور است و آرام، و فارغ از تشویش‌های دیوانه کننده دوران ما. نتیجه آن است که بسیاری از این جستارها، گرچه در ظاهر ساده و پرجاذبه‌اند، در عمل بیشتر حس انفعال و دل‌زدگی را منتقل می‌کنند تا بینش نو.

[sAmAnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب "یک تابستان با مونتنی" اثر آنتوان کومپنیون، مانند‌کتاب یک تابستان با پروست برام جذاب بود... چون اطلاعات کلی، خلاصه و جالبی در مورد نویسنده‌ی مورد نظر می‌دهد....این کتاب هم به بررسی زندگی و آثار فلسفی مونتنی، فیلسوف و نویسنده فرانسوی قرن شانزدهم پرداخته.... این کتاب به صورت یک سفرنامه نوشته شده است و نویسنده در آن تلاش می‌کند تا خوانندگان را با جنبه‌های مختلف زندگی و تفکرات مونتنی آشنا کند. نویسنده ابعادی از فلسفه زندگی مونتنی را بررسی می‌کند و نشان می‌دهد که چگونه مشاهدات او درباره‌ی انسان، جامعه و زندگی روزمره، می‌تواند به ما در درک بهتر زندگی امروز کمک کند... البته بعضی جاها با برخی دیدگاه‌هاش موافق نبودم... برای همین لازمه‌ی خوندنش علاقه به فلسفه و زندگی‌نامه هست...
سبک نگارش کومپنیون عالیه و به گونه‌ایه که خواننده را درگیر می‌کند و احساس می‌کند که در حال گفتگو با یک دوست است. نویسنده به خوبی نشان می‌دهد که ( برخی، به نظرم) از آموزه‌های مونتنی هنوز هم در دنیای امروز کاربرد دارد و می‌تواند به ما کمک کند. کتاب چالش‌های فکری مختلفی را مطرح کرده است.... و با اینکه حجم کتاب کمه اما نویسنده تونسته تصویری غنی و شخصی از اثر مونتنی و تاثیرات آن بر زندگی خودش ارائه بدهد و به بررسی موضوعات مهمی مانند مرگ، عشق، دوستی، تنهایی، و ماهیت انسان پرداخته...

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3, 93.

În vara anului 2012, autorul a făcut 40 de emisiuni la France Inter, în care a vorbit pe înțelesul tuturor despre Montaigne și eseurile sale. Peste un an, în vara lui 2013, a adunat intervențiile într-un volum.

Cartea a avut un succes neașteptat, a devenit imediat bestseller și s-a vîndut în aproape 200.000 de exemplare, ceea ce este, să recunoaștem, enorm pentru o carte de filosofie. Nu are rost s-o rezum aici. Nici nu se recomandă. Am ales cîteva fragmente din carte, le-am tradus cum m-am priceput, și am alcătuit, „ad usum Delphini”, o mică antologie. Dacă aveți răbdare, veți afla ce gîndește Compagnon despre Montaigne...

„Ce spune, de fapt, Montaigne? Că în singurătate, în loc să-și găsească statornicia și seninătatea, a întîlnit angoasa și neliniștea. Această maladie spirituală este melancolia, sau acedia, depresia care lovea monahii în orele amiezii, timpul ispitei” (p.47).

„A iubi prea tare călătoria înseamnă a te arăta incapabil de a te opri, de a lua o hotărîre, de a te fixa într-un loc; înseamnă, deci, a nu îndrăzni să iei o decizie, a prefera stăruinței agitația. Din acest motiv, pentru Montaigne, călătoria este metafora vieții” (p.55).

„Montaigne își bate joc de el însuși și de opera lui, comparîndu-se cu un simplu meșteșugar: cartea lui nu este decît o colecție de fragmente juxtapuse, un mozaic de piese disparate, un amestec pestriț, pe care nimic nu-l poate împiedica să se întindă indefinit, după împrejurări” (p.86).

„Să nu confundăm ceea ce facem cu ceea ce sîntem; să păstrăm o distanță între lăuntrul nostru și acțiunile noastre” (p.90).

„Cărțile sînt însoțitori mereu accesibili. Bătrînețe, solitudine, lene, plictis, durere, anxietate: nu există nici un rău obișnuit al vieții căruia cărțile să nu-i poată oferi un remediu, cu condiția ca aceste rele să nu fie prea intense. Cărțile moderează grijile, oferă un sprijin și un ajutor” (p.107).

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antoine Compagnon, a Professor of French Literature, was asked to give a series of short talks on a summer radio program on France Inter. His subject was to be Michel de Montaigne's "Essays," written in the 16th Century (The Complete Essays).

Compagnon's summer radio program led to this book of forty short chapters about Montaigne's life, works, and insight about living well. Montaigne is presented thoughtfully with his contradictions, brilliance, and humor. He lived in a volatile time during a series of wars of religion in France. There are quotes from Montaigne's "Essays" included in each chapter as well as occasional thoughts pertaining to our present time. This is a good introduction to Montaigne for a reader who wants a short overview written in a conversational manner. My only quibble is that the book does not have an index in the back. 3.5 stars.

[S©aP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deliziosa trascrizione di brevi "conversazioni radiofoniche", aventi per argomento gli "Essais". Eccellente introduzione alla lettura. Chi è incline a tale tipo di letteratura, e fino ad ora ha esitato, vi troverà eccellenti stimoli. Chi invece non la ama, potrà almeno farsi un'idea.

[Mohammad · Rating 2 out of 5]

در مقایسه با کتاب چطور زندگی کنیم سارا بیکول و کتاب اندیشه‌ مونتنی پیتر برک، حرف زیادی برای گفتن نداشت. هیچوقت از مونتنی خوندن خس��ه نمیشم و این کتاب هم یادآوری بدی نبود. هرچند بهتر بود نویسنده به جای چهل فصل کوتاه، تعداد کمتری از ویژگی‌های مونتنی رو انتخاب میکرد و روی اونها با حوصله بیشتری مانور میداد. مونتنی می‌دونست پایان کجاست و چه موقع باید از سر میز بلند بشه. این من رو شیفته‌ی خودش میکنه

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un banquete de la más alta cultura francesa. Antoine Compagnon es posiblemente el máximo especialista mundial en Michel de Montaigne. Este libro presenta 40 capítulos breves en los que Compagnon habla de Montaigne, de sus Ensayos. Inicialmente, Compagnon preparó estos microensayos para presentar en un programa de radio, unos minutos cada día, durante el verano francés de 2012. Luego, estos contenidos tomaron la forma de libro. La selección de temas y su lectura son en sí mismas ejercicios ensayísticos al estilo Montaigne, es decir, hay arbitrariedad, contradicción, permanente oscilación entre posturas antagónicas y, por encima de todo, una lucidez que arrasa con todo. El núcleo estético del Montaigne alegórico es el de un renacentista que se anticipó a la Modernidad sin dejar de convivir con los clásicos de Grecia y Roma. Una lectura filosófica de este libro deja al lector en estado de conmoción total por el escepticismo de Montaigne. Una lectura literaria de este libro deja al lector una experiencia transformadora de lo que significa la literatura. Montaigne es sus Ensayos. Los Ensayos son Montaigne. Le equivalencia es total, como en la lógica clásica. Sin embargo, este libro no se cierra en lo filosófico o en lo literario. Por el contrario, se deja leer como cada lector quiera leerlo. El lector que convoca es un radioescucha transeúnte. En una jugada que sólo puede ser lograda por alguien que entendió a Montaigne, Compagnon se las arregla para que el libro sea edificante. Protolibertino y edificante a la vez. Creo que éste es un corolario posible de su célebre pregunta: ¿Qué se yo?

[Vanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Summer with Montaigne written by Antoine Compagnon is a product of his radio broadcast on Montaigne’s “Essays” spanning an entire summer. Asked to talk about Montaigne’s magnum opus for an audience, Compagnon found himself in a tough spot. He couldn’t think of the right way to condense Montaigne’s writing to fit a tiny time slot. But he went ahead anyway, and the result of his undertaking is this brief book.

What I have managed to grasp from my rendezvous with A Summer with Montaigne is that Montaigne’s Essays weren’t meant as treatise but as “thought experiments.” Montaigne freely admitted to his own fallibility and mutability. He had no qualms in accepting that the views he held while writing his book might not endure with time. It’s for this reason that he emerges as an endearing figure whose intention wasn’t to preach but only to record his feelings on various subjects. The fact that his work went on to influence generations of people and garnered a wide readership is merely incidental.

I had never read Montaigne prior to this. But as a literature student, I had always harboured thoughts of reading him when the timing felt right. I am glad to report that Compagnon’s book proved to be the right starting point for me. I relished his explanations that came after he would quote Montaigne from “Essays.” Reading Montaigne in the original is not a particularly easy task but Compagnon simplifies it for lay readers and I felt that he managed to achieve this without comprising on the work’s essence.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally written for radio broadcast. That's my understanding. It rather read as that. It wasn't very sophisticated and I found it a bit dull. Oh well.

[Meredith Russow · Rating 3 out of 5]

My essay was pretty fire ngl

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light and engaging. Why not read Montaigne instead?

[Keith Sickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this opportunity to learn a bit about Montaigne. I was struck by his open-mindedness and willingness to learn new things, adapting his point of view as he gained new information. We could use more of that today! I agreed with his concept that most people (unlike Montaigne) don’t like to have honest discussions where their ideas might be challenged, preferring the comfort of their established beliefs.

I was surprised at what a tough guy Montaigne was, facing down danger as mayor of Bordeaux and admiring the Spartans for their warrior spirit. One doesn’t usually think of a literary master that way.

Where I’ll part ways with Montaigne is on his view that culture and science weaken us. Given all of the scientific advances since his time, if Montaigne were alive today I like to think that he would change his opinion on this one.

I appreciate author Compagnon’s bite-sized excerpts of Montaigne himself, followed by an explanation of what he meant. I read the book in French and found Montaigne’s style and vocabulary difficult at times so Compagnon’s explanations helped me a lot.

[Birgit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man får lyst til at læse Montaigne

[Mind the Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parce que c'était Montaigne, parce que c'était moi. Fyrtiosju franska radiokrönikor med utdrag ur de berömda renässansessayerna. Så här skrev Monsieur Montaigne t.ex. om vänskap, kärlek och litteratur. I precis den ordningen:

"Dessa två slag av umgänge är beroende av andra tillfälligheter och av andra människor: det tråkiga med det ena slaget är att det är så sällsynt, det andra vissnar med åren, och därför har de två aldrig kunnat täcka mitt livs behov. Umgänget med böcker, som är det tredje slaget, är mycket säkrare och mer vårt eget."

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea is a very nice one---short commentaries on some particular bit of Montaigne's wisdom or observation. As such, the reader will expect something lucid, perhaps somewhat informal, above all something easy to understand. The choice of the English translation of the Montaigne writings was not a good one for the type of general audience that I think was intended. I suspect a sizable proportion of readers encountering this quote on the first page will never go to the second page:
I expose myself in my stiff opinion, and after a method the most my own; a tender negotiator, a novice, who had rather fail in the affair than be wanting to myself. And yet it has been hitherto with so good luck (for fortune has doubtless the best share in it), that few things have passed from hand to hand with less suspicion or more favor and privacy. I have a free and open way that easily insinuates itself and obtains belief with those with whom I am to deal at the first meeting. Sincerity and pure truth, in what age soever, pass for current.
The Screech translation, for example, is better, although I imagine there are others even closer to a modern form of English.
Once we get past the translation of Montaigne, the commentary by the author itself is too often not clear or not informative. For example, in The Balance the sentence "The example of the Eucharist serves to confirm his skepticism by reiterating the paradox of the Cretan, or the liar: 'A Cretan declares, "All Cretans are liars"'" . The example does not reiterate this paradox; I do not know whether the fault lies in the translation of Compagnon's writing or elsewhere.

[Paulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um opúsculo sobre a obra e vida de Montaigne, autor de "Ensaios".

Ao longo de 40 capítulos, discorre o autor sobre a obra e avida. Em que pese as curtas e pequenas 168 páginas, aborda temas que, IMHO, seriam desnecessários, tais como o interesse sobre biologia e sexualidade de Montaigne.

No mais, interessantes pinceladas para compreender o pensamento do filósofo, mas ausente bibliografia complementar e outros que tais que nos permitam aprofundar no assunto.

Well, just my 2 cents :-)

[Arturo Herrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno llega con la idea de pasar 'Un verano con Montaigne' y se merienda el libro en tres días.

«Que un hombre como Montaigne haya escrito ha hecho que realmente la alegría de vivir en este mundo se haya visto aumentada», reconocerá Nietzsche.

[Bérénice Morillot · Rating 4 out of 5]

une introduction aux essais à la fois efficace et attirante

[La Central · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La historia de este libro es excepcional: todo viene de que a alguien se le ocurrió que la hora del aperitivo, en verano, era el mejor momento para hablar de Montaigne. Y, por muy inverosímil que parezca, es lo que acabó pasando: el programa de radio de France Inter tuvo un éxito que "sorprendió a la propia empresa" , y la indujo a convertir sus contenidos en un libro que ahora Blackie Books nos propone para leer, por capítulos, antes de ir a dormir .
La razón de esta popularidad: que Montaigne nos enseña a pensar. A pensar sobre la vida y desde la vida, no sobre o desde ideas engoladas.

No nos preguntamos qué es el más allá, o si hay vida después de la muerte, la cuestión es si debemos tener miedo de la muerte, y la conclusión es que no mucho, porque cada día que pasa nos morimos un poco, y cuando lleguemos a la vejez ya tendremos casi todo el trabajo hecho. ¿Qué hacemos si nos cae un diente? ¿Cómo se debe educar a los niños? ¿Qué pensar o decir sobre el amor, la amistad, la vanidad, el deseo, el arte de la conversación, la enfermedad o el tiempo perdido?

Cualquier lectura, pensamiento, encuentro casual o accidente hace arrancar la meditación de Montaigne. La suya es la ignorancia sabia que ya enseñaba Sócrates, la del que sabe que pretender conocer el todo y llegar al fondo de las cuestiones es algo ilusorio, tal es nuestra condición humana. Se puede conocer sólo a trocitos, cualquier saber es frágil en este mundo tan diverso y complicado. Así, intentando captar el mundo poco a poco, Montaigne cambia de opinión y se contradice constantemente. Cuando empieza a pensar en un tema y a tener alguna idea interesante, puede perder el hilo del razonamiento, porque la vida cotidiana reclama su atención, y tiene que volver a empezar por otro lado. Su curiosidad es inagotable, y tal vez esta es una de las lecciones más importantes que podemos sacar de su obra: no nos rindamos, no pretendamos abarcar el todo; debemos seguir pensando y encontrando verdades aunque duren cinco minutos. Sólo así, y poco a poco, podremos intentar descifrar, en nuestro movimiento, este mundo cambiante, e ir hallando puntos de equilibrio en nuestra cabalgata que no se detiene." Júlia Martí

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that my knowledge of Montaigne was really superficial. I had read some quotes and knew about it but nothing more.
This book helped to discover a great thinker and to get to know a great thinker.
It's not an easy read but it was pleasant and engaging, a book able to make you understand and give food for thought without being boring but with humour and clear explanations.
It made me think I could read the the Essays by Montaigne.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC

[Stéphane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un voyage au coeur des Essais de Montaigne guidé par un expert incomparable qui nous livre dans de court chapitre toute l'humanité d'un auteur incomparable.
J'avais un souvenir de Montaigne peu enthousiasmé, si tous les professeurs de Français étaient des passeurs aussi habiles qu'Antoine Compagnon...

[M. Sarki · Rating 2 out of 5]

...to say the truth, we prepare ourselves against the preparations of death...

Montaigne at times is a bit confused. I know he is famous, respected, and quoted often. Every so often he is not my cup of tea.

...Life must be aimed at living, and death will take care of itself...

This was somewhat a boring read and did little to enamor me more to this granddad of the essay.

[Ángel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una buena introducción al filósofo francés Michel de Montaigne. Por medio de sencillas notas, derivadas de un programa de radio, Compagnon nos comparte su experiencia con este gran pensador. Si el libro les gusta, el paso a los "Ensayos" es obligado.

[Ines · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant read! Super short essays, some more engaging some less, but this probably depends on ones interests. Form and choice of the topics is very nice. 5 stars for the author, less stars for Montaigne himself, who seems like quite an annoying person :D

[Osyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Antoine Campagnon, was approached by France Inter to give a daily short recitation on an array of the essays of Michel de Montaigne, for forty days throughout the summer, he balked. It is hardly surprising given the towering reputation of Montaigne but it is our fortune that he agreed and our greater fortune that he has turned his meditations into a book: ’… the idea seemed quite bizarre to me, and the challenge of it so risky, that I didn’t dare try to wriggle out of it’ (p.p. 13)
In contrast to the three expansive tomes of Essays by Montaigne, this is a slim volume but the author manages to span the repertoire of Montaigne’s important thinkings: ‘There will be no excessive indulgence of letters for Montaigne, only an aristocratic insistence on the superiority of arms, “the science of obeying and Commanding” (I, 24). The art of peace does not relay on rhetoric, but on force, which dissuades more than it persuades’ (p.p. 65)
This is a book that acts as an excellent introduction to the uninitiated or a reminder and a welcome analysis for those familiar with Montaigne’s nuggets: ‘One open way of speaking introduces another open way of speaking, and draws out discoveries, like wine and love (III, 1) (p.p. 71)
Michel de Montaigne embodied the humanist ideal. The extraordinary thing about his jottings, for he did not consider himself to be a serious voice, simply one writing for a limited audience of family and friends in a somewhat train of thought manner, is that they have stood tall through centuries. Montaigne was writing at the end of the Sixteenth Century, later, Nietzsche was a fan and Montaigne’s musings still resonate today: ‘Scattered throughout the Essays are remarks on instability, the changeability of things in this world. And man’s inability to understand this’ (p.p. 21)
Enter Antoine Compagne, a man who has clearly studied the Essays intricately and intimately for decades. Alarmed by the prospect of doing a disservice to the works, he worried about how to tackle the richness of the work and give an audience of devotees and newcomers a sufficiently piquant taste that they would immerse themselves anew or dive in to the writings for the first time he pondered how best to tackle the challenge of presenting snippets of the work in a way that showcased them historically and highlighted their current value: ‘In the end I did all of these things at once, without order or premeditation’ (p.p. 14)
The author adopts a knowledgeable stance and the narration is self-assured and strong with more than a tinge of Montaigne himself. But the key to this work, as is the key to any work that studies a great work or a great master is that it showcases the personality of the subject. It has a humanism in its own tone, and although convincing it is not dogmatic: ‘Montaigne’s religious beliefs remain enigmatic. The person who manages to figure out what he truly believed with be clever indeed’ (p.p. 92)
This slender book, forty short chapters long and constructed of an almost even blend of Montaigne’s original words and Compagnon’s reflections upon them achieves a perfectly poised work of creative non-fiction that positions the reader to pursue their own studies. Compagnon achieves his goal of engaging the reader in Montaigne’s work so sufficiently that it is unthinkable not to lift the Essays off the bookshelf and immerse oneself anew. Compagnon proves himself as elegant and erudite as the man whose work he is examining. ‘Montaigne himself is naked, open to nature, approving his own fate. He is our brother’ (p.p. 134)

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Antoine Compagnon accepted the offer/challenge to concoct a radio series about Michel de Montaigne’s “Essays” that would be broadcast over the course of a summer, he mused as follows:

Next, choosing forty or so passages of a few lines each in order to chat briefly about them, while at the same time showing both their historic significance and their current relevance seemed an impossibly tall order. Should I just choose pages at random, like Saint Augustine opening the Bible? Should I have a third party pick them? Should I just tear through the major themes of the book? Give a broad overview of its richness and diversity? Or should I simply focus on a few of my preferred excerpts, without worrying too much about unity or completeness? In the end I did all of these things at once, without order or premeditation.

Indeed, a tall order. Montaigne lived in the 16th century, wrote 107 chapters over three books, comprising one of the most astounding, modern, and universally available collections of literature, while inadvertently creating an understanding of humans and humanity that spans centuries. He was a nobleman, a dedicated traveller, a mayor, a husband, a philosopher, and a writer, among other things.

Perhaps mainly, he was a person who wrote essays about anything that came across his mind.

This book is broken up into a bunch of chapters, and while Compagnon does not cover all of Montaigne’s essays, his choices are both interesting and show the slight complexities of Montaigne, those that turned him both intrinsically human, and highly interesting.

For example:

Montaigne regrets that his contemporaries do not argue with him more, out of an aversion to being argued with themselves. Because they do not like to be contradicted, because it humiliates them, they refrain from contradicting others, and become more firmly entrenched in their own certainties.

Who cannot like a person who wants to argue?

Montaigne actually looked for uncertainties, for that which would contradict his own thoughts, and make him think.

One final point: if Montaigne gives in easily to others, it is not only out of courtesy and to encourage his conversational partners to speak freely to him; it is also because he is not always sure of himself. His opinions are changeable, and he sometimes disagrees with himself. Montaigne loves argument, but he does not need anyone else to provide it. What he detests above all are people who are so arrogant that they take offense when someone else contradicts them. If there is one thing Montaigne loathes, it is smugness, conceit.

Can the conceited ever truly live and engage with life?

Furthermore, on truth:

Machiavellianism asserts that it is permissible to lie, to break one’s word, even to kill when it is in the best interests of the State, in order to ensure governmental stability, which is seen as the supreme good. Montaigne never became comfortable with this, denouncing dishonesty and hypocrisy wherever he found them. He invariably presents himself just as he is and says precisely what he thinks, disregarding etiquette. He prefers openness, directness, and loyalty to what he calls “the covered path”. For him, the end does not justify the means, and he is never prepared to sacrifice private morality for reasons of State.

Such foolish behaviour, Montaigne realizes, has done him no harm—has, in fact, brought him success. His conduct is not just more honest; it is more profitable as well. If a public figure lies once he is never believed again; he has chosen an expedient over the long term, and he has made the wrong decision. According to Montaigne, sincerity and fidelity to one’s pledged word constitute a much more profitable way of behaving. If you are not driven to honesty by moral conviction, practical reason should be incitement enough.

One of my favourite themes with Montaigne is not only his search for truth, but for avoidance of prejudice.

This section, about conscience and whether one should perhaps not fear death, is a sublime example of Compagnon’s ability to make Montaigne’s words fly:

This is one of the most moving passages in the Essays; it is rare for Montaigne to talk about an event in his life, a private moment, in such detail. The story is about a fall from a horse, and the loss of consciousness that followed.

“In the time of our third or second troubles (I do not well remember which), going one day abroad to take the air, about a league from my own house, which is seated in the very centre of all the bustle and mischief of the late civil wars in France; thinking myself in all security and so near to my retreat that I stood in need of no better equipage, I had taken a horse that went very easy upon his pace, but was not very strong.

“Being upon my return home, a sudden occasion falling out to make use of this horse in a kind of service that he was not accustomed to, one of my train, a lusty, tall fellow, mounted upon a strong German horse, that had a very ill mouth, fresh and vigorous, to play the brave and set on ahead of his fellows, comes thundering full speed in the very track where I was, rushing like a Colossus upon the little man and the little horse, with such a career of strength and weight, that he turned us both over and over, topsy-turvy with our heels in the air: so that there lay the horse overthrown and stunned with the fall, and I ten or twelve paces from him stretched out at length, with my face all battered and broken, my sword which I had had in my hand, above ten paces beyond that, and my belt broken all to pieces, without motion or sense any more than a stock.” (II, 6)

Then comes the lengthy and vivid paragraph describing the misadventure, full of picturesque observations: the powerful charger ridden by one of his men; himself, “the little man and the little horse,” knocked over by the enormous animal bearing down suddenly on them. We can imagine the scene clearly; we are in the Dordogne countryside amid the vines, the small group frolicking in the sun. Then, the shock: Montaigne lying on the ground, his belt and sword broken and scattered, his face bruised and bloodied. Worst of all, he has been knocked unconscious.

It is all there. Though Montaigne gives us so many details, he remembers nothing of it; one of his men has told him what happened, carefully concealing the role of the charger and its rider. What fascinates and troubles him is his loss of consciousness, and then his slow return to life after being taken for dead and carried home. The accident is the closest Montaigne has ever come to death, and the experience was a gentle, ephemeral one. Death, it appears, is nothing much to be afraid of.

To end that scene, Compagnon adds the following:

Besides this moral, Montaigne learns a more important, more modern lesson from the incident. It causes him to reflect on identity, on the relationship between the mind and the body. Though unconscious, it seems that he moved, spoke, and even gave orders to look after his wife, who had been notified of the accident and ran out to meet the returning party.

What are we, if our bodies move and we can talk and give directions without our will being involved? Where does the self exist? Thanks to a fall from a horse, Montaigne—before Descartes, before phenomenology, before Freud—anticipates by several centuries the tendency to wonder uneasily about subjectivity and intention, and conceives his own theory of identity; it is precarious, disjointed. Anyone who has fallen off a horse will understand what he means.

Simplifying analysis of Montaigne’s writings is hard. Still, Compagnon manages this with candor and insight. I firmly recommend this book for all who are not conceited.

I have collected more quotes from the book here: https://niklasblog.com/?p=22729

I must recommend Sarah Bakewell’s sublime and excellent book “How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer” for more on Montaigne, as it is one of my favourite books, not only of Montaigne, but of all the books I have ever read.

[Sarah Abanamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il y a deux étés, c’est avec plaisir que j’ai découvert & lu (Un été avec Victor Hugo) de Laura El Makki & Guillaume Gallienne. Il est difficile de ne pas s’arrêter pour admirer cette série de livres des Éditions des Équateurs avec leurs couvertures pétillantes & leurs graphismes uniques par Stéphane Rozencwajg. Cette série estivale se répète, honorant un auteur different chaque année. Cet été, le tour est à Paul Valéry sur France Inter & à Homère aux Éditions des Équateurs (fruit de l’émission radio de l’été 2017, avec Sylvain Tesson comme talentueux narrateur). Malgré la tentation du bleu grecque, j’ai choisi la compagnie de Montaigne (le premier de la série), ensoleillé, lisant paisiblement sous un parasol & gardé par un petit oiseau. Je l’ai spécialement choisi grâce à Ibrahim Al Ariss, qui lui a consacré un merveilleux article apparu dans le journal Alhayat. Ajoutant le charme d’une librairie malouine Intra-Muros qui m’y a guidée (La librairie L’Odyssée).
N’ayant pas encore lu Les Essaies, je remercie Antoine Compagnon d’avoir raconté Montaigne d’une plume si admirable. Ce sont des personnes comme lui, comme Al Ariss, qui donnent la soif de lire & de découvrir.
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Si Montaigne devait résumer sa vie ou ses pensées en quelques mots, il aurait probablement choisi: la bonne foi (bona fides), la mobilité continue, son amour pour l’équitation (qui allie movement et stabilité), la quête d’équilibre entre épicurien & stoïque, la richesse des voyages, le bonheur de la librairie & de la libre lecture, l’amitié précieuse (Étienne de La Boétie), la compréhension du monde en acceptant le changement permanent & l’instabilité, de toute chose, de nous-mêmes et de la vie.
Parmi les belles phrases que je retiens de ce livre: « Philosopher c’est apprendre à mourir » -emprunté à Ciceron- , « Mes pensée dorment, si je les assis. Mon esprit ne va pas seul, comme si les jambes l’agitent ».

[Vladys Kovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason Montaigne was omitted from my university courses in philosophy. It was not entirely surprising as the focus was on philosophy of science. We had a bit of Descartes and Pascal, Leibnitz and Spinoza but there was no mention of Montaigne altogether. What a glaring omission!

Later, in various books I read references to Montaigne that were plentiful and substantial. Finally, it was time for me to get closer to the source. Mind you, the source itself, les Essais, is still quite beyond my meager abilities in French but a set of short pieces developed originally for a radio program seemed like a good entry point.

What a profound yet humble discourse on human condition I had been missing! In the midst of civil struggle and counter reformation the retired Michel Eyquem de Montaigne decided to write down his thoughts in a colloquial and accessible manner - this was the birth of Essais, a book which would shape the history of humanist thought for centuries to come. The ideas I held as original in existential writings of various authors of the XX century were already there at the tip of the pen of Montaigne some 350 years earlier. Even today some of his thoughts, experiences and contradictions appear more significant to this reader than the scientific embellishments of the age of reason.

I will not list here what captured my fancy but will direct you to the source, or at least to this slender volume by Antoine Compagnon who picks a few quotes from Montaigne and shares his concise interpretations. My only complaint with this winterly Summer with Montaigne is that some topics reappear often at the expense of others not even mentioned. Clearly, I will need to pick up the original at some point. I feel it will be a good read for the summer!

[David Poltorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to Montaigne — and this book is just that, an introduction. The author goes through 40 various subjects and quotes from Montaigne and lightly expounds upon them.

I resonated with much of Montaigne’s skeptical and humble approach to life and philosophy, but due to the surface level nature of the book, that resonation was subtle and short lived — I would have liked for it to go deeper. Nonetheless, there were moments I found Montaigne somewhat impressive for someone who lived in the 1500s.

Quotes:

He seeks truth — but it is impossible to find it in such an unstable, turbulent world. Everything flows, as Heraclitus said … the object moves, and the subject does as well. How can we ever have a solid and reliable understanding of it all?



Life is about becoming rather than being. The world can change in an instant, and so can I … Montaigne makes a point of noting how much, and how often, everything changes. He is a relativist; one might even say a perspectivist: at any given moment, I have a different point of view on the world. My identity is changeable … The world moves, and I move; it is up to me to find my seat in the world.



Most of our occasions of disturbance in the world are grammatical ones



Montaigne preferred a man with a “well-made head” rather than a than a “well-filled” one



Montaigne preferred wisdom to knowledge for its own sake, denouncing the folly of an encyclopedic education in which learning became a goal in itself. Knowledge, he believed, matters less than what one does with it; that is, practical know-how and life skills.



We should rather examine who is better learned than who is more learned.