Mirror of Obedience: The Poems and Selected Prose of Simone Weil

Simone Weil was a French philosopher, mystic, activist, and writer whose profound work continues to intrigue and inspire today. Mirror of Obedience collects together Weil's poetry and autobiographical writings translated into English for the first time, offering a rare glimpse into a more personal and introspective Weil than we usually encounter. She wrote with discipline and spareness and cherished the poetic form for its power to compress language and distill meaning.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 10 August 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Simone Weil, a prominent French philosopher of the 20th century, left an indelible mark on the world through her profound and enduring work. A mystic, activist, and writer, Weil's ideas continue to captivate and inspire audiences to this day. Mirror of Obedience, a collection of Weil's poetry and autobiographical writings translated into English for the first time, offers a rare glimpse into a more personal and introspective side of this remarkable individual.

Weil's poetic journey was a lifelong pursuit, and she dedicated herself to writing and re-working her poems until the very end of her life. In a poignant letter from London to her parents dated January 22, 1943, she expressed her wish for her verses to be published together in chronological order, a wish that this volume honors. Weil was a disciplined thinker who approached writing with precision and economy, cherishing the poetic form for its ability to compress language and convey meaning.

Through her poems and literary writings, Weil sought to elevate poetry to the status of essential expressions of thought. She believed that poetry had the power to reveal the deeper truths of existence and to capture the beauty of the world in a way that mere words could not. In these works, we witness her own artistic endeavors to craft poems that serve as vital vehicles for her philosophical ideas, shedding light on another facet of her quest for beauty and truth.

Simone Weil's legacy as a philosopher and writer continues to resonate deeply, reminding us of the importance of introspection, social justice, and the pursuit of beauty in our lives. Her profound insights and poetic vision continue to inspire generations of thinkers and artists, and her work remains a testament to the power of human creativity and intellectual inquiry.

Weight: 225g
Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350250680