"A Very Fine Gift" and Other Writings on Theory

Roland Barthes was a 20th-century philosopher known for his essays and interviews, which are now available in paperback. He was a restless thinker and a constant innovator, producing cultural criticism such as Empire of Signs, The Pleasure of the Text, and Camera Lucida. This collection of essays, interviews, prefaces, book reviews, and other journalistic material is now available in English for the first time, divided into five themed volumes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 196 pages
Publication date: 05 August 2023
Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Roland Barthes was a restless and versatile thinker. A relentless innovator, often acting as a daring smuggler of ideas across disciplines, he initially gained recognition with his concise essays on mass culture. Subsequently, he produced some of the most suggestive and thought-provoking cultural criticism of the late 20th century, including "Empire of Signs," "The Pleasure of the Text," and "Camera Lucida." In 1976, this once-outsider structuralist was elected to a chair at France's esteemed Collège de France, where he chose to present himself as a professor of literary semiology until his passing in 1980.

The majority of Barthess's published writings have been accessible to a French audience since 2002, but now, translator Chris Turner presents a collection of essays, interviews, prefaces, book reviews, and other journalistic material for the first time in English, divided into five themed volumes. In volume one, titled "A Very Fine Gift," Barthes attempts to frame his lifelong curiosities in theoretical form, encompassing his early musings on the sociology of literature, his peak period of structuralism, and his later reflections on Derrida.

Throughout his career, Barthes remained a perpetual seeker of knowledge, constantly pushing the boundaries of his intellectual pursuits. He was a master of interdisciplinary analysis, seamlessly blending ideas from various fields to create new and innovative perspectives. His work had a profound impact on the fields of literary criticism, semiotics, and cultural studies, and his ideas continue to inspire and influence scholars to this day.

In conclusion, Roland Barthes was a remarkable philosopher whose restless spirit and intellectual curiosity led him to produce some of the most influential and groundbreaking works of the 20th century. His contributions to the fields of literature, semiotics, and cultural studies will be remembered for generations to come, and his legacy continues to inspire and influence scholars worldwide.

Weight: 224g
Dimension: 128 x 204 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781803092751