Description: Jean Wahl occupies a singular position in 20th Century French philosophy, introducing, in many cases for the first time in France, the works of major German philosophers. This volume offers translations of some of Wahl's most important and influential essays on Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, and Jaspers.
Brief description: Jean Wahl was Professor of Philosophy at the Sorbonne from 1936 to 1967, save during World War II, which he spent in the United States, having escaped from the Drancy internment camp. His books to appear in English include The Philosopher's Way, A Short History of Existentialism, and Philosophies of Existence.
Review Quotes: "Emmanuel Levinas likened the thought of Jean Wahl to 'a child's question coming from the lips of the wisest of philosophers, ' with the potential to disrupt and reorient thanks to its unexpected combination of innocence and intelligence. One of the most interesting and original thinkers of his time, Wahl helped invent existentialism and exerted influence on a host of canonical French philosophers of the twentieth century. Thanks to the marvelous editorial work of Ian Moore and Alan Schrift, this collection of Wahl's writings recovers him for a new generation of readers."-----Samuel Moyn, Harvard University, author of Origins of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas between Revelation and Ethics