A major discovery: The lost diary of a great mind—and an intimate, deeply moving study of grief
The day after his mother’s death in October 1977, the influential philosopher Roland Barthes began a diary of mourning. Taking notes on index cards as was his habit, he reflected on a new solitude, on the ebb and flow of sadness, and on modern society’s dismissal of grief. These 330 cards, published here for the first time, prove a skeleton key to the themes he tackled throughout his work. Behind the unflagging mind, “the most consistently intelligent, important, and useful literary critic to have emerged anywhere” (Susan Sontag), lay a deeply sensitive man who cherished his mother with a devotion unknown even to his closest friends.
Mourning Diary
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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. These penseÌües on the process of grieving the loss of a mother are an invitation to eavesdrop on a densely qualified (in the finest sense) rational mind touched by eternal loss. While continuing his life work, the great French cultural critic Barthes (Mythologies) kept notes of sadness and selfreflection on slips of paper. This fragmentary book begins the night after his mother's death; informing it all is the presence of absence. Although conflicted by the very process of making literature from grief, Barthes (1915–1980) contemplates such day-to-day, unexpected spells of sadness as living in an empty apartment; how the role reversal of caring for a dying parent affected him; the larger mysteries of time; and his own generalized mental state ("Not even the desire to commit suicide"). Compiler and annotator LeÌüger is to be commended, as is redoubtable translator Howard, who, in a nostalgic afterword, describes both his experience with Barthes's mother, Henriette, and the relative merits of the craft of rendering any book into another language. This volume is both a window into the soul of a philosopher and a unique contribution to the inspirational literature of the adult child left behind. 8 pages of b&w illus.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“A belated and unexpected gift.” —The London Review of Books
“A writer whose books of criticism and personal musings must be admired as serious and beautiful works of the imagination.” —EDMUND WHITE
“Though Barthes left behind disciples, there can be no replacing him; his brilliance has a wavelength all its own.” —JOHN UPDIKE
“A writer whose books of criticism and personal musings must be admired as serious and beautiful works of the imagination.” —EDMUND WHITE
“Though Barthes left behind disciples, there can be no replacing him; his brilliance has a wavelength all its own.” —JOHN UPDIKE
“This is pure Barthes: to write the very words that show how and why words have failed him.” —Thomas Larson, Contrary Magazine
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The indescribableness of my mourning results from my failure to hystericize it..."
May 22, 2011
By M. Wong
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Roland Barthes' Mourning Diary is the most accurate, poignant written account of how grief is experienced. Barthes does not revert to cliche or overwrought metaphor--he does not attempt to apologize for the way he experiences mourning after his mother dies. Instead, these short fragments explore the process of living that one undergoes in the presence of absence that death most acutely is. This book is a treasured companion for any thinking mind who recognizes that "grief" is often most overwhelming when there is no feeling or emotivity involved.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Unlike a few of the recent Barthes publications his estate is digging up, this one is a gem. I'd give it five stars but I tend to save that for complete masterpieces. It could be five though. He hits on subtle feelings that elude most writers, especially on a topic such as this one, that could so easily turn corny. If you like Barthes or poetic writing and detest self-help books this one should be a great fit.
5 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
These are the brief daily jottings of a French professor/author/philosopher about his grief over the death of his much beloved mother. As you can guess, being French and a philosopher makes the writings seem abstract to the average American, but they are nonetheless touching. From the writings he appears to be totally incompacited by his grief but apparently he was able to be quite productive in his professional life (based on the biographical comments outside of his writings) .
Each page contains just a few sentences so it is a comparatively quick read. The picture of his mother holding him as a boy is quite poignant. His view of her is that she was absolutely perfect but perhaps we all have a tendency to do that in grief. Those who have grieved will relate.
Each page contains just a few sentences so it is a comparatively quick read. The picture of his mother holding him as a boy is quite poignant. His view of her is that she was absolutely perfect but perhaps we all have a tendency to do that in grief. Those who have grieved will relate.
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