Product Description

The incidental writings of Søren Kierkegaard, published in the twenty-volume Danish edition of the Papirer, provide direct access to the thought of the many-faceted nineteenth-century philosopher who exerted so profound an influence on Protestant theology and modern existentialism. This important material, which Danish scholars regard as the "key to the scriptures" of Kierkegaard's other work, spans his entire productive life, the last entry of the Papirer being dated only a few days before his death. These writings have been previously inaccessible in English except for a few fragmentary selections; the most significant writings are now being made available in this definitive seven-volume edition under the editorship of two expert scholars and translators.

The editors group the selections in Volumes I through IV by theme, with all entries on a given subject under the same heading. Within subject headings, entries are arranged chronologically, making it feasible to trace the evolution of Kierkegaard's thought on a specific topic. Volumes V and VI are devoted to autobiographical material. Volume VII contains an extensive index with topical crossreferences.

Product Description
In The Politics of Exodus, Mark Dooley offers a lively interpretation of Kierkegaard as a precursor of the ethical and political insights of Jacques Derrida. While many connections have been forged in recent years between these two quintessentially "Continental" figures, Dooley's book argues that these affiliations run much deeper than any previous commentators have suggested. Indeed, his most controversial claim is that Kierkegaard is anything but a proponent of asocial individualism, but is one whose writings bear witness to the notion of an "open quasi-community" which has driven much of Derrida's work over the past decade. In vigorously challenging conventional wisdom surrounding the place of Kierkegaard in contemporary thought and political theory, Dooley shows how powerfully postmodern and politically charged the latter's specifically 'religious' ideas are. As such, Kierkegaard ought to be read as someone who anticipated Derrida's claim that genuine responsibility in the political sphere depends upon a phophetic call for justice on behalf of the least among us. will appeal to anyone interested in the intersection of religion and postmodernism, as well as to those with interests in ethics and politics from a Continental perspective. It will undoubtedly change the way we read Kierkegaard in the new millennium. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Highly recommended reading for students of Kierkegaard
In The Politics Of Exodus: Soren Kierkegaard's Ethics Of Responsibility, Mark Dooley (Newman Scholar in Theology, University College, Dublin) argues persuasively Kierkegaard's affiliations with Jacques Derrida are deeper and more significant than has been traditionally believed. Dooley maintains that Kierkegaard is not a proponent of asocial individualism, but an advocate of "open quasi-community". The Politics Of Exodus is highly recommended reading for students of Kierkegaard's philosophy, as well as those with an interest in the area of ethics and politics, religion and postmodernism. ... Read more

Product Description
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) was an almost unbelievably prolific writer. At his death he left not only a massive body of published work (25 volumes in the recently completed Princeton University Press edition), but also a sprawling mass of unpublished writings that rivaled the size of the published corpus. This book tells the story of the peculiar fate of this portion of Kierkegaard's literary remains, which flowed ceaselessly from his steel pen from his late teens to a week before his death. It is the story of packets and sacks of paper covered with words and images that, after a vagabond existence in various homes, finally landed at the Royal Danish Library, where they are today guarded with great care.

Readers are also introduced to a selection of this enormous body of material, including drawings and doodlings (often human profiles with high foreheads) that escaped from Kierkegaard's pen in unguarded moments and complement the allure of the philosopher's strikingly variable, elusive handwriting. The authors of this book are among the editors of a modern critical edition of Kierkegaard's oeuvre currently being produced in Copenhagen.

By the end of his life Kierkegaard had become a controversial figure, engaged in a furious assault upon "Christendom." From the very moment of their discovery in the days following his death, the unpublished words and images constituted a highly problematic bonanza, an intellectual and religious hot potato (or sack of potatoes) that was passed from hand to hand, suppressed, selectively and tendentiously published and republished. Written Images offers readers a fascinating tour of the misadventures of these written images that will, finally, soon be published in their entirety. ... Read more

Product Description

The incidental writings of Søren Kierkegaard, published in the twenty-volume Danish edition of the Papirer, provide direct access to the thought of the many-faceted nineteenth-century philosopher who exerted so profound an influence on Protestant theology and modern existentialism. This important material, which Danish scholars regard as the "key to the scriptures" of Kierkegaard's other work, spans his entire productive life, the last entry of the Papirer being dated only a few days before his death. These writings have been previously inaccessible in English except for a few fragmentary selections; the most significant writings are now being made available in this definitive seven-volume edition under the editorship of two expert scholars and translators.

The editors group the selections in Volumes I through IV by theme, with all entries on a given subject under the same heading. Within subject headings, entries are arranged chronologically, making it feasible to trace the evolution of Kierkegaard's thought on a specific topic. Volumes V and VI are devoted to autobiographical material. Volume VII contains an extensive index with topical crossreferences.

Product Description
This strikingly original work by Jørgen Bukdahl, first published in Danish in 1961, explores Søren Kierkegaard's relationship, both in the abstract and in his everyday life, with "ordinary" people. Seeking to undermine the stereotype of Kierkegaard as socially aloof and politically conservative, Bukdahl finds him to be fundamentally interested in and concerned about the plight of "the common man." In the course of his discussion Bukdahl does a thorough job of contextualizing Kierkegaard in mid-nineteenth-century Denmark, shedding light on Kierkegaard's relationships with his family, various religious groups, and the leading intellectual figures of his time. Bukdahl follows the trajectory of Kierkegaard's thoughts on the common man from his earliest writings through his battles with The Corsair and on to his untimely death. Throughout, Bukdahl examines the role of Kierkegaard's Christian faith in shaping his attitude toward the common man and social relationships in general. Kierkegaard scholar Bruce H. Kirmmse here provides the first English translation of Bukdahl's book and has included many helpful additions-a biographical introduction that fills in the details of Kierkegaard's life, endnotes that identify the many little-known figures referenced in the text, and a preface that explains the context of the book and its author. Kirmmse also includes a bibliographic guide pointing readers to English translations of all of Kierkegaard's writings. This new information and Bukdahl's own colorful style make this an accessible and highly useful work for scholars as well as students new to Kierkegaard. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Truly a tour de force for understanding SK

Many decades ago this book was published; but, has been overlooked by scholars and general readers much to the "chagrin" of a few who
had the good fortune to share the knowledge of its contents.This is a penetrating analysis of Kierkegaard's conscientious intellectual
life with his work.

Jorgen K. Bukdahl is the author of this very original and little-
known study of SK.It is translated, revised, edited, and with
notes by Bruce H. Kirmmse.

A must read!

Dag Stomberg
St. Andrews, Scotland ... Read more

Product Description

The incidental writings of Søren Kierkegaard, published in the twenty-volume Danish edition of the Papirer, provide direct access to the thought of the many-faceted nineteenth-century philosopher who exerted so profound an influence on Protestant theology and modern existentialism. This important material, which Danish scholars regard as the "key to the scriptures" of Kierkegaard's other work, spans his entire productive life, the last entry of the Papirer being dated only a few days before his death. These writings have been previously inaccessible in English except for a few fragmentary selections; the most significant writings are now being made available in this definitive seven-volume edition under the editorship of two expert scholars and translators.

The editors group the selections in Volumes I through IV by theme, with all entries on a given subject under the same heading. Within subject headings, entries are arranged chronologically, making it feasible to trace the evolution of Kierkegaard's thought on a specific topic. Volumes V and VI are devoted to autobiographical material. Volume VII contains an extensive index with topical crossreferences.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book in great shape
I received this book is speedy timing and it was in good shape.I was satisfied with the quality of this used book. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the first of Kierkengaard's important contributions to Danish literature. In these two volumes he has contrasted an ethical view of life with a purely aesthetic attitude. The occasion for the production of this remarkable book lay in his unhappy engagement to Regina Olsen and its subsequent breach. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

certainly strong in its view
We live with tremendous complexity. Instead of trying to sort it all out, I would just like to call attention to one point covered in this book that I think of in opposition to American assumptions, but which might apply to any sort of individual submission to the expectations of others:
It takes something like terrible times for Americans to consider themselves as God must see them:

Just as Kierkegaard is always trying to separate the individual from the "crowd," from the "public," from the "present age," so here he seeks to separate the reader from the writer. But in neither case is his purpose to leave the individual simply alone; and if we add "with the text," we have still left out the essential point. He wants to help the individual get alone before God, and to that end he both assaults the apotheosis of the age and deliberately forgoes the privileges of authorship. His whole theory of indirect communication, in which pseudonymity plays such a prominent part, is necessary "because ethically the task is precisely this--that every man comes to stand alone in the God-relationship" (JP 1.649, p. 273). In this mode the author "shyly withdraws (for love is always shy), so as not to witness the admission which [the reader] makes to himself alone before God" (PV 25-26; cf. 111, 135, 150). (Merold Westphal, p. 16).

Kierkegaard short course
The idea of reading Concluding Unscientific Postscript without reading Concluding Unscientific Postscript is something I find horrifying. Why not eat gravy instead of a steak. Westphal's book is an excellent adjunct toKierkegaard's, but Kierkegaard is funnier, quirkier, more wide ranging andhe flat out tells better jokes. This book is an excellent adjunct to thePostscript but is lightweight compared to the Postscript. Read this beforeyou read the Postscript. Read this while you read the Postscript (hard todo: reading the Postscript is pretty consuming). Read this after you readthe Postscript (I had read the Postscript five time before I read this bookand found it very enjoyable). But for God's sake: Read the Postscript. Thisbook is no good as a replacement for it and why should you miss out on thebest things in life?

A Comprehensive Review
Westphal does a really nice job with Become a Self.He literally retells Concluding Unscientifc Postscript in late-20th century terms, including several contemporary thinkers of the continental tradition.Westphal attempts to better clarify what Kierkegaard as Climacus means between "being" and "becoming."I recommmend this book highly for anyone that studies Kierkegaard or desire to read Concluding Unscientific Postscript without reading Conclusing Unscientific Postscript. ... Read more

Product Description
S¿ren Kierkegaard's philosophy intersects with so many systems of thought--theology, religion, existentialism, literature and psychology, as examples--that it is difficult to classify or to grasp the concepts that he presents. Yet Kierkegaard's influence on the 20th century is vital, and therefore an understanding of his thinking is as well. The "Historical Dictionary of Kierkegaard's Philosophy" is a guide to the secondary material that exists on the Danish thinker. Beginning with maps and a contextual introduction to the 19th century world of Copenhagen, the philosopher's home, the dictionary includes a chronology of events and key figures in his life, as well as a guide to some of his concepts and terms and a list of major works. The bibliographical section contains entries on other handbooks and electronic materials of help to researchers. In the appendix, more detailed information on his writings is included, along with a list of his pseudonyms. Not only is this book to guide the reader new to Kierkegaard, but it is also a compilation that will be of great use to established scholars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Kierkegaard Baedeker
There are few people in the world today who know Kierkegaard's world like Profesor Julia Watkin. Her command of Danish language and culture are nonpareil. Whether it be Grib Forest or the Great Day of Prayer, Watkin tracks down every reference in Kierkegaard. Watkin illuminates the views of major and minor figures who figure in Kierkegaard's writings. For instance, Bishop Mynster, held much sway with Kierkegaard butreaders who first come to the Dane know little about him. With Watkin's book, Kierkegaard's readers will have an introduction to Mynster and to other otherwise forgotten influences on Kierkegaard. Once again, Kierkegaard writes a great deal on love and yet readers unaquainted with Danish will not necessarily understand that Kierkegaard is working with two different Danish terms. But With Watkin's Baedeker, first semester students of Kierkegaard are well informed about the connotations of the Danish. Kierkegaard wrote many of his works under pseudonyms. And there is today a great deal of debate as to how we are to interpret his psuedonymous works.Watkin provides us with a handy register of Kierkegaard's noms de plum. Watkin, who for many years helped steer the Kierkegaard Library, has alsoappended a comprehensive bibliography. Anyone intent upon entering the world of Kierkegaard's thought, should not leave home without Julia Watkin's HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF KIERKEGAARD'S PHILOSOPHY. ... Read more

Product Description
Love can be surprising. Love can be heartbreaking. Love can be an art. But love is the singular emotion that all humans rely on most . . . and crave endlessly, no matter what the cost. United by this theme of love, the nine titles in the Penguin Great Loves collection include tales of blissful and all- encompassing, doomed and tragic, erotic and absurd, seductive and adulterous, innocent and murderous love. A deeply moving addition to the Penguin Great Ideas and Great Journeys series, each gorgeously packaged book will challenge all expectations of love while celebrating the beauty of its existence.

All books in this series: Cures for Love
Doomed Love
The Eaten Heart
First Love
Forbidden Fruit
The Kreutzer Sonata
A Mere Interlude
Of Mistresses, Tigresses and Other Conquests
The Seducer's Diary
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

BORING!!!
The reviewer who says it should not be read in isolation is correct. It is atrociously boring, so boring, I could barely finish it and I am not a novice, but a literature professor.

Shouldn't be Read in Isolation
"The Seducer's Diary" is one of the most fascinating chapters of Kierkegaard's Either/Or.It is the culmination of Kierkegaard's portrayal of the "aesthetic" life, and reveals very clearly some of the horrific failings of "student A" and his world-view.Furthermore, the Hong translation is excellent, poetic, and fluid.

However, I'm really disturbed by the fact that this chapter would be pulled from its context in Either/Or and set up alone, as a short work by the author "Søren Kierkegaard".There are several problems with this.

First, "The Seducer's Diary" is written by Kierkegaard only in the sense that any of Macbeth's monologues in Shakespeare's play are written by Shakespeare.The Seducer expresses Kierkegaard's own views and feelings just as little as Macbeth expresses Shakespeare's.By attributing the piece directly to Kierkegaard, and suggesting (see the back cover) that the book is somehow a portrayal of his relationship to Regine Olsen, this volume does a huge disservice to the actual content and function of the book.Kierkegaard would be absolutely horrified by this volume.(For more, see "A First and Last Explanation" at the end of Concluding Unscientific Postscript 1 : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 12.1.)

This brings us to problem 2: "The Seducer's Diary" is the final chapter of Either/Or part 1.Either/Or is a presentation of two different approaches to life in the form of the collected papers of two unknown individuals: "Student A" and "Judge William".Part 1 contains the papers of "Student A", an aesthete and sensualist, and part 2 contains a series of letters to Student A from "Judge William" in defense of "the ethical". As the final chapter of Part 1, "The Seducer's Diary" offers a climactic portrait of the failures of the aesthetic life.Johannes the Seducer is the aesthete's ideal, and we sense that if Student A pursued his values to their ultimate end he would end up like the Seducer.The Seducer is an updated version of Don Juan, who, rather than leaping on one girl after another in quick succession, undertakes a spiritual as well as a physical seduction, until his prey can totally surrender to him (at which point he abandons her).The Seducer is meant to be horrifying and extremely perverse.To identify Kierkegaard with the Seducer is absolutely outrageous.This chapter, though excellent, cannot be properly understood outside of the context of Either/Or, so I suggest that, instead of this you purchase the Hong translation of Either/Or 1: Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol. 3.

A "war of conquest"...
According to Kierkegaard, there are three stages or spheres of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious one. In "The seducer's diary", the author depicts the life of someone who has made a conscious choice for the aesthetic way of life, with all the consequences that implies.

The plot is simple, and the book is very short, but all the same the reader will become easily and quickly involved with the characters, and won't be able to forget the lessons learned through them. Johannes is a seducer for vocation and profession: being a seducer isn't really his job, but that is undoubtedly what gives meaning to his life. He likes women only until they have given him everything: it is then that he leaves them, and searches for a new "love". Johannes isn't capable of a big love that will last forever, but rather of many fleeting little "loves", with a definite time limit ("I am an aesthete, an eroticist, who has grasped the nature and the point of love, who believes in love and knows it from the ground up, and I reserve for myself only the private opinion that no love affair should last more that a half a year at most and that any relationship is over as soon as one has enjoyed the ultimate.").

"The seducer's diary" is a transcription of part of Johannes diary. Here the reader will be able to follow the different stages of Johannes seduction (and ultimate betrayal) of Cordelia, his prey. The way in which Johannes plans the above mentioned seduction is rather astonishing, due to the fact that he thinks about it as a "war of conquest" that he has to win little by little, through many well-conceived strategies. Not matter how passionate he might seem at times, we are remembered again and again that he is cold-bloodedly constant to his primal purpose.

On the whole, I really liked "The seducer's diary", and can recommend it to you. To tell the truth, I cannot say that I loved the ending, but I can see that it illustrates Kierkegaard point of view perfectly, bringing home the idea that a purely aesthetic way of life isn't an intelligent choice. Of course, we already knew that, but it is all the same a good idea to read why, expressed in such a conspicuously clear way as this.

Belen Alcat

Where's the wiseman,that wouldnot be I,if she wouldnot deny
This was truly, an amazing read! The words that will be written here, can never begin to tell the complexity of this story. Soren tells, of seductive love, and loss of, through Johannes and Cordelia. Was Kierkegaard a scheming madman, or simply a fool...

The story is told by Johannes, a man ten years Cordelias senior, who spins a web, to bring this young girl of seventeen, into womanhood through an erotic seduction of the mind. Johannes, a brilliant intellectual, I believe, uses the ripple effect of thought to determine the out come of each move that he plots. For instance, when you drop a stone into water, it sends out a ripple of rings, each one, a different path to take, each with it's own set of consequences. Constantly, he's questioning, thinking, and calculating.

Johannes, purposely studies everything about Cordelias' life. Her circle of friends, her family, her daily schedule. Then he makes sure to intervene un-noticed. For example, he knows that at 11am she will be walking down a particular street, he makes a point to walk past her. A day of shopping , to be in the store where she is at. But never approches her, always standing in the shadows. Subconsciously, he's placing his image in her mind. When he discovers that she lives with her Aunt, he sets out to court the Aunt, and befriends Edward, a shy, awkward boy, who's infatuated with Cordelia. But Johannes only uses Edward, to his own advantage of course, exposing Cordelia to the differences between Edward, the boy, and himself, the man. Eventually, Cordelia takes notice, and poor Edward is soon discarded. It's at that point when Johannes askes the Aunt for Cordelia's hand, in an engagement. The Aunt agrees, and Cordelia and Johannes begin their journey.

If you have ever been in love, truly in love, you will feel it written within the pages of this book. The kind we may only find once in our lives, if we are lucky enough for fate to expose it to us with open eyes. I believe that Johannes, found the truest, purest love, with Cordelia, but chose to play a game of the mind, instead of listening to the heart. Which in the end, haunted him the rest of his life!

This book is filled with visionary metaphors, which only adds to it's beauty. Once you attain the rhythm of the prose, it flows like sweet nectar on the palate.

it was great, but tragic
it was awesome, it is full of emotion!i feel bad for edvard and especially cordelia.all the characters end up getting shafted at the end, except johannes which is shafted by his existence, the guy has mad people skills, but is a total dumb ass, (he is living the worst kind of existence according to kierkagard's 3 possible life choices; 1. aesthetic 2. ethical 3. religous) but you kind of feel sorry for him too. ... Read more

Product Description