The Absence of Myth: Writings on Surrealism [Hardcover]

Georges Bataille (Author), Michael Richardson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

For Bataille, 'the absence of myth' had itself become the myth of the modern age. In a world that had 'lost the secret of its cohesion', Bataille saw surrealism as both a symptom and the beginning of an attempt to address this loss. His writings on this theme are the result of profound reflection in the wake of World War Two. The Absence of Myth is the most incisive study yet made of surrealism, insisting on its importance as a cultural and social phenomenon with far-reaching consequences. Clarifying Bataille's links with the surrealist movement, and throwing revealing light on his complex and greatly misunderstood relationship with Andre Breton, The Absence of Myth shows Bataille to be a much more radical figure than his postmodernist devotees would have us believe: a man who continually tried to extend Marxist social theory; a pessimistic thinker, but one as far removed from nihilism as can be. Introduced and translated by Michael Richardson.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A veritable cult figure for postmodernism, Bataille (1897-1962) formulated what is now vanguard received wisdom, and he did so long before Derrida proposed differance in 1967, giving Bataille's pronouncements the additional authority of duration. Furthermore, while eschewing the Orphic, he typically encapsulates his ideas with a near-eminently quotable-paradox (e.g., "The sacred demands the violation of what is normally the object of terrified respect"). These pieces, dating mostly from 1945 to 1951, when surrealism was attempting a second wave, are documents of Parisian intellectual life, discussing such issues as the distinctions between existentialism and surrealism and the Camus/Sartre quarrel following The Rebel (1951). Bataille sees successful surrealism as the destruction of self, the individualism that must be sacrificed before liberty can be achieved for the community. Richardson's accurate and readable translations are carefully annotated, making this a useful collection for English readers.
Marilyn Gaddis Rose, SUNY-Binghamton
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Bataille has survived the death of God." - Jean-Paul Sartre "One of the most original and unsettling of those thinkers who, in the wake of Sade and Nietzsche, have confronted the possibility of thought in a world that has lost its myth of transcendence." - Peter Brooks, The New York Times Book Review "Richardson's accurate and readable translations are carefully annotated, making this a useful collection for English readers." - Library Journal "The book is never less than fascinating and reveals Bataille as a wit as well as a thinker." - Times Higher Educational Supplement "An illuminating historical document." - Literary Review "Challenging and Terrifying." - Radical Philosophy

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Verso (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0860914194
• ISBN-13: 978-0860914198
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Georges Bataille was born in Billom, France, in 1897. He was a librarian by profession. Also a philosopher, novelist, and critic he was founder of the College of Sociology. Bataille died in 1962.