Customer Reviews

The Essential Kierkegaard

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A wonderful, chronologically arranged anthology from the immensely prodigious output of Soren Kierkegaard, complete with excellent introductory notes.

My only criticism? The typography is a bit dense, and in particular the font size for the running text is small. I would appeal to the publisher to reformat this book using a larger text size (e.g., 10 point) -- even at the expense of adding additional pages to the overall book size.

With a dizzying series of pseudonyms, from Climaticus to Anticlimaticus, this book selects from the Hong's expansive translation of all of Kierkegaard's writings. The introductions place each piece in context, but don't over interpret as some other books. Reading from the complete work presents a view of Kierkegaard's total plan ("The Authorship") and his voices of the religious, esthetic, and ethical. In light of the whole body, "Concluding Unscientific postscript" seems to have a pivotal role. Existentialists may like to claim him as he speaks of the individual about despair, fear and trembling, and anxiety, but make no mistake his work is to be a Christian (" Once and for all I must urgently request the kindly disposed reader continually to bear in mente [in mind] that the total thought in the entire work as an author is this" becoming a Christian"). He is a self appointed critic of the established church and the inclusion of the lesser known "The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air' shows the religious side. Present are all of Kierkegaard's "Knights": the Knight of Faith, the Knight of Infinite Resignation, and the Knight of Hidden Awareness. Humor and irony abound. Come leap in, and have a good read!

Søren Kierkegaard is undoubtedly the comedian's philosopher. And his humor is fundamentally reassuring - hilarious, even biting, but never bitter or nihilistic. He is one of the major influences on the films and writings of Woody Allen. Often Kierkegaard is rumored to be bleak, hopeless and terrifying. There are elements of despair, yes, but I've always found him good for a laugh even at his darkest. His humor is similar to Woody Allen's in that it is simultaneously cathartic, sobering and very funny. I flip around this excellent anthology and re-read passages in my spare time for encouragement.

This collection provides an entry into Kierkegaard's work that doesn't overwhelm the reader as s/he begins reading one of the greatest philosophers of the last two hundred years.

Readers will have many a good laugh as well as acquire new insights from this book. Kierkegaard's "The Authorship" is a good overview of Kierkegaard's view on a myriad of topics from religion to ethics. You've just got to love "Climaticus & Anticlimaticus." Each section has an introduction that prepares readers for Kierkegaard's view of the ensuing topic.

Kierkegaard's ultimate goal is to live what he views as being a good person who is a Christian as well.

Countless people from existentialists (Exis as they have been affectionately called), seem to feel that Kierkegaard speaks from despair, but that is not the impression I got. While Kierkegaard speaks of yin and yang, in the sense of balance among opposites, there still remains a cohesive unity in his writings. While Kierkegaard is critical of the church, he still shows his connection to his faith. His sundry Knights bring a touch of whimsy and humor to the (round) table of interesting thoughts, perceptions and topics in this book.

A great collection of Kierkegaarde's published and unpublished works. Includes philosophical inquiries and Christian meditations. A must read for anyone interested in Philosophy

I received what I ordered but can't comment on the book. I did not read more than what was assigned by the instructor. What I did read was good.

The Essential Kierkegaard

Edited by Howard & Edna Hong
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2000) 524 pages
(ISBN: 0-691-03309-9; hardcover)
(ISBN: 0-691-01940-1; paperback)
(Library of Congress call number: B4372.E5 2000)

After they completed the huge project of translating into English
and publishing all of Søren Kiekegaard's writings,
Howard & Edna chose (with the advice of other Kierkegaard scholars)
the selections that make up this collection of the best of Kierkegaard.

The selections are presented in historical order,
offering something from every kind of writing Kierkegaard ever did.
All the translations into English are the same as used for
the standard collection of SK's works, called Kierkegaard's Writings,
which was also edited by the Hongs.

This one-volume anthology of Kierkegaard's writings
will introduce many future generations to the thought of the great Dane.

Before I read this collection, I had read the complete works of SK.
So I was quite familiar with everything contained in this volume.
Nevertheless, it was a good experience to read it thru again,
to see just how well the life-work of one genius or near-genius
could be compressed into one volume.

If you would like to explore other writings by Kierkegaard,
search the Internet for the following exact expression:
"Books on Existential Spirituality".

James Leonard Park, existential philosopher.

**this is a review based on this particular publication- not on Kierkegaard's writings**
I was assigned to read 'Fear and Trembling' for a class and purchased this copy because I like to add complete works to my library. To my dismay this copy only contains a small fraction of the full piece of work. It only has 10 pages out of the 70+ pages in Fear and Trembling. No where does it state that this is an abridged or reduced version- in fact the review here on amazon states "The crowning achievement of [the Hongs'] monumental translation of all of Kierkegaard's published writings...." this is not a full version of his work!!!

Totally Unacceptable!

I am of Danish descent, so I is nice to hear from the motherland. However, I am not of K's tradition, so this is an outsider's look at Mr. K's philosophy.

I am quite impressed with what Mr. K has to say. It took me a while to get into his style of speaking and writing, but one I picked up his dialect, I was awestruck! Sometimes titles not only grab you, but mesmerize you. His essay "Sickness unto Death," which I had heard of in passing, was one of these titles that I just could not get out of my head.

The advantage of this compilation is that it is done by the General Editors of the "Collected Works of S. K.," so the translation, pagination and diction are all the same in the individual books and this small hors d'oeuvre plate. Having used various translations of Machiaveli, or different editions of Plato, it is nice to have one standard translation.

I recommend book as a being like a "Best of Kierkegaard," much like a "Best of" CD from an unknown band. You get the good stuff, eliminate all the filler material, and can buy the individual books if you so choose.

As I said, I am not of K's faith, but I appreciate his faithfulness in search for truth!