Universal Exception [Hardcover]

Slavoj Zizek (Author), Rex Butler (Editor), Scott Stephens (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2006

"The most formidably brilliant exponent of psychoanalysis, indeed of cultural theory in general, to have emerged from europe in some decades." - Terry Eagleton
'One of the most innovative and exciting contemporary thinkers of the left.' TLS
The Universal Exception is the second volume of the collected key writings of Slavoj Zizek - one of the most provocative and inspiring writers on culture at work today. Collecting together a broad selection of Zizek's major writings on politics, The Universal Exception showcases Zizek's formidable range of interests and his style. The book includes his writings on such right-wing icons as Ayn Rand and Leni Riefenstahl; his take on the logic of capitalism and the condition of contemporary radical politics; and his views on major current global issues and events, including the Iraq war. Together with Interrogating the Real, the first volume of Zizek's selected writings, this collection offers a superb introduction to the work of this prolific, controversial and vastly entertaining cultural commentator.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The most formidably brilliant exponent of psychoanalysis, indeed of cultural theory in general, to have emerged from Europe in some decades.' Terry Eagleton

'Zizek has almost single-handedly revived a dynamically dialectical, Hegelian, style of thinking. I think of him as a sort of "logician of culture" who reveals the underlying structures of politics and ideology in much the way Kant did.' Eric Santner

'a must for anyone interested in a witty, erudite and almost Wildean examination of our present condition.'

(Hanif Kureishi Observer )

'...like the first volume in the series, he covers a range of topics with a unique understanding of radicalism...'

(Title summary in Nov 2006 Edition Reference and Research Book News )

'a must for anyone interested in a witty, erudite and almost Wildean examination of our present condition.'

(, Observer )

'...like the first volume in the series, he covers a range of topics with a unique understanding of radicalism...'

(, Reference and Research Book News )

About the Author

Slavoj Žižek is one of the world's leading contemporary cultural critics and a hugely prolific author. He is Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Visiting Professor at the New School for Social Research, New York, USA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (June 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826471099
• ISBN-13: 978-0826471093
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"The most dangerous philosopher in the West," (says Adam Kirsch of The New Republic) Slavoj Zizek is a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic. He is a professor at the European Graduate School, International Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck College, University of London, and a senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His books include "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce;" "Iraq: The Borrowed Kettle;" "In Defense of Lost Causes;" "Living in the End Times;" and many more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, excellent, October 19, 2010

By 

Jacob Glicklich "Raskolnikov" (The American Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Universal Exception (Hardcover)

A wonderfully written and challenging account. Certainly I didn't accept all the argument--Zizek gives short shift to post-structuralism and at points his gendered readings are profoundly mistaken--but overall he delivers an astonishing amount of complex ideas in a very engaging manner. The main themes here on the challenges and necessity for the left are well rendered, and it's meshed in with specific focuses that are insightful, amusing and engaging. This volume is a collection of articles across several decades so there is some redundancy (the same stories get cited a couple different places) but there's also a lot of distinct notions. Well worth a look for anyone curious for a study of capitalism, communism, post-communism, modern culture and the Iraq War.

In particular, Zizek's analysis of right-wing populism as a component of global capitalism seem rather prophetic now.