Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia

Julia Kristeva explores melancholia across art, literature, philosophy, religion, and culture, linking it to the love of a lost identity of attachment. She analyzes Holbeins painting "The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb" and considers the works of Marguerite Duras, Dostoyevsky, and Nerval. Black Sun views depression as a discourse with a language to be learned.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2024
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Julia Kristeva delves into the multifaceted realm of melancholia, exploring its presence across art, literature, philosophy, the history of religion and culture, and psychoanalysis. She portrays the melancholic individual as someone who sees the pursuit of self as a vital endeavor, yet one that remains largely out of reach, revealing the profound essence of depression as rooted in the love of a lost identity of attachment. In her analysis, Kristeva examines the controversial 1522 painting "The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb" by Holbein and considers the works of Marguerite Duras, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Nerval.

Black Sun, a book by Kristeva, adopts a different perspective, suggesting that depression is not solely a pathology that requires treatment but rather a discourse that can be learned and understood. Through her comprehensive exploration, Kristeva sheds light on the complex nature of melancholia, offering insights into its historical, cultural, and psychological dimensions.

Weight: 334g
Dimension: 139 x 215 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231214537