JACQUES DERRIDA - A BIOGRAPHY

'Jacques Derrida - A Biography' is the first complete biographical overview of this important philosopher, drawing on Derrida's own accounts of his life as well as the narratives of friends and colleagues. Powell explores Derrida's early life in Algeria, his higher education in Paris and his development as a thinker, before examining the extraordinary influence of his published works and the celebrity status that he achieved in both Europe and the USA. Powell examines the crisis Derrida faced toward the end of the 1970s, when structuralism was waning, and describes his renewed efforts to create a public forum for deconstruction, often in the face of fierce criticism from the popular press. He concludes with an account of Derrida's last years and publications, focusing on his thoughts on fame, life, and death.