Overview

Georges Bataille was a philosopher, writer, librarian, pornographer and a founder of the influential journals Critique and Acéphale. He has had an enormous impact on contemporary thought, influencing such writers as Barthes, Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault and Sontag. Many of his books, including the notorious Story of the Eye and the fascinating The Accursed Share, are modern classics.

In this acclaimed intellectual biography, Michel Surya gives a detailed and insightful account of Bataille's work against the backdrop of his life - his troubled childhood, his difficult relationship with André Breton and the surrealists and his curious position as a thinker of excess, 'potlatch', sexual extremes and religious sacrifice, one who nonetheless remains at the heart of twentieth century French thought--all of it drawn here in rich and allusive prose. While exploring the source of the violent eroticism that laces Bataille's novels, the book is also an acute guide to the development of Bataille's philosophical thought. Enriched by testimonies from Bataille's closest acquaintances and revealing the context in which he worked, Surya sheds light on a figure Foucault described as 'one of the most important writers of the century'.

ISBN-13

9781859841532

ISBN-10

1859841538

Weight

1.95 Pounds

Dimensions

0.60 x 0.18 x 0.90 In

List Price

$29.95

Edition

1st Edition

Format

Paperback

Language

English

Pages

603 pages

Publisher

Verso

Published On

2010-03-15



View All Offers

Sort by:

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
$89.56

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026

Brand New
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

$122.93

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.