The Gift of Death, Second Edition & Literature in Secret

"The Gift of Death", Jacques Derrida's most sustained consideration of religion, explores questions first introduced in his book "Given Time" about the limits of the rational and responsible that one reaches in granting or accepting death, whether by sacrifice, murder, execution, or suicide. Derrida analyzes Czech philosopher Jan Patocka's "Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of...

"The Gift of Death", Jacques Derrida's most sustained consideration of religion, explores questions first introduced in his book "Given Time" about the limits of the rational and responsible that one reaches in granting or accepting death, whether by sacrifice, murder, execution, or suicide. Derrida analyzes Czech philosopher Jan Patocka's "Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History" and develops and compares his ideas to the works of Heidegger, Levinas, and Kierkegaard. One of Derrida's major works, "The Gift of Death" resonates with much of his earlier writing, and this highly anticipated second edition is greatly enhanced by David Wills' updated translation.This new edition also features the first-ever English translation of Derrida's "Literature in Secret". In it, Derrida continues his discussion of the sacrifice of Isaac, which leads to bracing meditations on secrecy, forgiveness, literature, and democracy. He also offers a reading of Kafka's "Letter to His Father" and uses the story of the flood in "Genesis" as an embarkation point for a consideration of divine sovereignty.

雅克•德里达（1930—2004），20世纪后半期最重要的法国哲学家之一，曾任教于巴黎高等师范学校、巴黎社会科学高等研究院、加州大学人文学院等，并创建国际哲学学院。他开创了解构的思想方法，成为后结构主义的主要代表，其理论动摇了传统人文科学的基础，也是各种后现代思潮最重要的理论起点之一。20世纪90年代前后，德里达越来越关注当代政治和伦理论题，在研讨班和著作中进行更富有现实意味的解构实践，引起了广泛持久的探讨和争论。

王钦，毕业于美国纽约大学比较文学系，哲学博士，现为北京大学国际批评理论研究中心博士后。译著有《新自由主义简史》、《根本恶》（合译）、《野性唯物主义》（主译）等。