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Philosopher of the Heart

The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard

Clare Carlisle

$22.99

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English
Penguin
19 May 2020
'Engrossing ... Carlisle has pulled off the feat of writing a truly Kierkegaardian biography of Kierkegaard' (Julian Baggini, Financial Times)

S ren Kierkegaard is now celebrated as the father of existentialism - yet his contemporaries described as a philosopher of the heart. In the 1840s and 1850s, writings poured from his pen analysing love and suffering, courage and anxiety, religious longing and defiance, and forging a new philosophical style rooted in the inward drama of being human. His restless creativity was spurred on by own failures- his relationship with the young woman whom he promised to marry, then left to devote himself to writing, haunted him throughout his life. Though tormented by the pressures of celebrity, he lived amidst the crowds in Copenhagen, known by everyone but, he felt, understood by no one. When he collapsed exhausted at the age of 42, he was still pursuing the question of existence- how to be a human being in this world?

Clare Carlisle's innovative and moving biography writes Kierkegaard's remarkable life as far as possible from his own perspective, conveying what it was like to be this Socrates of Christendom - as he put it, living life forwards yet only understanding it backwards

By:  
Imprint:   Penguin
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 21mm
Weight:   269g
ISBN:   9780141984438
ISBN 10:   0141984430
Pages:   368
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Clare Carlisle is Reader in Philosophy and Theology at King's College, London. She is a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement and has written dozens of articles on philosophy for the Guardian. Her last book, On Habit, was named Outstanding Academic Title of 2014 by Choice, and she has recently edited George Eliot's translation of Spinoza's Ethics. She grew up in Manchester, studied philosophy and theology at Cambridge, and now lives in Hackney.

Reviews for Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard

Superb... the sort of biography Kierkegaard himself might have written, thematic in structure rather than chronological, lucid in its narrative but not exhaustive in detail. ... Carlisle's book has its own beauty, reminding us that Kierkegaard sympathized with our own troubles, our own desires to live decent lives -- David Mason * The Hudson Review * One of the best biographies of modern masters by a new generation -- Daniel Johnson * Standpoint * Philosopher of the Heart enacts Kierkegaard's audacity and verve in thinking and writing, his new way of doing philosophy , in a thrillingly inward and intimate style -- Boyd Tonkin * Arts Desk * She wonderfully conveys how, pelican-like, Kierkegaard tore his philosophy from his own breast -- Jane O'Grady * Telegraph * This lucid and riveting new biography at once rescues Kierkegaard from the scholars and makes it abundantly clear why he is such an intriguing and useful figure -- Adam Phillips * Observer *


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