Œuvres : Religions, Rationalités, Politique

by Jean-Pierre Vernant

En mai 2006, ce grand savant, qui était aussi un merveilleux conteur, décida de rassembler aux Éditions du Seuil ses œuvres publiées chez différents éditeurs. C’est au cours d’échanges avec Maurice Olender que Jean-Pierre Vernant élabora le contenu du projet en dressant l’ordre du sommaire.

Religions, rationalités, politique contient L'Univers, les Dieux, les Hommes ; Les Origines de la pensée grecque ; Mythe et pensée chez les Grecs ; Mythe et société en Grèce ancienne ; Mythe et religion en Grèce ancienne ; L'Individu, la Mort, l'Amour ; La Mort dans les yeux ; Religions, histoires, raisons ; Entre mythe et politique et La Traversée des frontières mais aussi les écrits issus d'ouvrages collectifs, notamment Mythe et tragédie en Grèce ancienne et Les Ruses de l'intelligence. La mètis des grecs. Plusieurs index - index des notions et figures mythiques, index des noms anciens, index des noms d'auteurs modernes - viennent compléter cet ouvrage de référence.

2507 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2007

About the author

Jean-Pierre Vernant was a French historian and anthropologist, specialist in ancient Greece. Influenced by Claude Lévi-Strauss, Vernant developed a structuralist approach to Greek myth, tragedy, and society which would itself be influential among classical scholars. He was an honorary professor at the Collège de France.

Born in Provins, France, Vernant at first studied philosophy, receiving his agrégation in this field in 1937.

A member of the Young Communists (Jeunes Communistes), Vernant joined the French Resistance during World War II and was a member of Libération-sud (founded by Emmanuel d'Astier). He later commanded the French Interior Forces (FFI) in Haute-Garonne under the pseudonym of "Colonel Berthier." He was a Companion of the Liberation. After the war, he remained a member of the French Communist Party until 1969.

He entered the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in 1948 and, under the influence of Louis Gernet, turned to the study of ancient Greek anthropology. Ten years later, he became director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). In 1971 he was professor in the University of São Paulo. This visit was also an act of protest that he made with François Châtelet against the brazilian military government (dictatorship).

He was a member of the French sponsorship committee for the Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. He supported the funding organisation Non-Violence XXI.

He was awarded the CNRS gold medal in 1984. In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate at the University of Crete.

Vernant died a few days after his 93rd birthday in Sèvres.