Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Pandgt;Since the middle of the eighteenth century, political thinkers of all kinds--radical and reactionary, professional and amateur--have been complaining about andquot;bureaucracy.andquot; But what, exactly, are they complaining about?andlt;/Pandgt;andlt;Pandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;The Demon of Writingandlt;/Iandgt;, Ben Kafka offers a critical history and theory of one of the most ubiquitous, least understood forms of media: paperwork. States rely on records to tax and spend, protect and serve, discipline and punish. But time and again, this paperwork proves to be unreliable. Examining episodes that range from the story of a clerk who lost his job and then his mind in the French Revolution to an account of Roland Barthes's brief stint as a university administrator, Kafka reveals the powers, the failures, and even the pleasures of paperwork. Many of its complexities, he argues, have been obscured by the comic-paranoid style that characterizes much of our criticism of bureaucracy. Kafka proposes a new theory of what Karl Marx called the andquot;bureaucratic medium.andquot; Moving from Marx to Freud, he argues that this theory of paperwork must include both a theory of praxis and of parapraxis.andlt;/Pandgt;
Review
This remarkable book teaches everyone who has gone blind on paperwork to see modern life anew: forms and reports, the stultifying preserve of bureaucrats, emerge as the foundations (and sometimes undoing) of state power. With elegance and poise, Ben Kafka blends the erudition of a masterful historian of the French Revolution with the rigors of a materialist who knows concepts depend on their circulation and the sophistication of a psychoanalyst who understands the psychic implications of worldly transformation. Through the utopia of the 'paperless office,' Kafka gives the clerks who destroy and fulfill our dreams their due, and a neglected form of modern writing the centrality it demands. And make sure to have a pair of scissors on hand! Zone Books
Review
Ben Kafka's The Demon of Writing is an unexpected pleasure. The wit and intelligence that shine through the notorious recalcitrance and tedium of paperwork make it a joy to read. The real surprise, however, is the reach of the Kafka's project, the amount this history of a few episodes in the life of paper and ink, files and forms, has to teach us about the proximity of our expectations and frustrations with the modern bureaucratic state. It will be of particular interest to scholars interested in the contradictions of the revolutionary experience, but it will be equally rewarding to everyone who has dreamed of working in an office that works. Samuel Moyn, author of < i=""> The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History <>
Review
andlt;Pandgt;andquot;This remarkable book teaches everyone who has gone blind on paperwork to see modern life anew: forms and reports, the stultifying preserve of bureaucrats, emerge as the foundations (and sometimes undoing) of state power. With elegance and poise, Ben Kafka blends the erudition of a masterful historian of the French Revolution with the rigors of a materialist who knows concepts depend on their circulation and the sophistication of a psychoanalyst who understands the psychic implications of worldly transformation. Through the utopia of the 'paperless office,' Kafka gives the clerks who destroy and fulfill our dreams their due, and a neglected form of modern writing the centrality it demands. And make sure to have a pair of scissors on hand!andquot;andlt;Bandgt;--Samuel Moynandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Last Utopia: Human Rights in Historyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books Zone Books
Review
andlt;Pandgt;andquot;Ben Kafka's andlt;Iandgt;The Demon of Writingandlt;/Iandgt; is an unexpected pleasure. The wit and intelligence that shine through the notorious recalcitrance and tedium of paperwork make it a joy to read. The real surprise, however, is the reach of the Kafka's project, the amount this history of a few episodes in the life of paper and ink, files and forms, has to teach us about the proximity of our expectations and frustrations with the modern bureaucratic state. It will be of particular interest to scholars interested in the contradictions of the revolutionary experience, but it will be equally rewarding to everyone who has dreamed of working in an office that works.andquot;andlt;Bandgt;--James Swensonandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt;
Review
Kafka's book is a keen, vivacious examination of the frustrating 'unpredictability' of paperwork as a cultural institution. James Swenson, author of < i=""> On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolution <>
Review
Kafka draws on methods and theories most often found in psychoanalysis, political theory, and histories of the book to craft a marvelously engaging and wonderfully witty study of papers, paperwork, and bureaucracy. At the center of this tremendously clever and pathos-laden interpretation is the crucial insight that 'paperwork, even when it works, fails us. We never get what we want. Publishers Weekly
Review
[Kafka] pursues an argument that leads from paper to paperwork, "the psychic life of paperwork," the concepts of major thinkers…it is provocative, original, and a very good read. Rebecca Spang, author of < i=""> The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture <>
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"This remarkable book teaches everyone who has gone blind on paperwork to see modern life anew: forms and reports, the stultifying preserve of bureaucrats, emerge as the foundations (and sometimes undoing) of state power. With elegance and poise, Ben Kafka blends the erudition of a masterful historian of the French Revolution with the rigors of a materialist who knows concepts depend on their circulation and the sophistication of a psychoanalyst who understands the psychic implications of worldly transformation. Through the utopia of the 'paperless office,' Kafka gives the clerks who destroy and fulfill our dreams their due, and a neglected form of modern writing the centrality it demands. And make sure to have a pair of scissors on hand!"andlt;Bandgt; -- Samuel Moynandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Last Utopia: Human Rights in Historyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books Zone Books
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Ben Kafka's andlt;Iandgt;The Demon of Writingandlt;/Iandgt; is an unexpected pleasure. The wit and intelligence that shine through the notorious recalcitrance and tedium of paperwork make it a joy to read. The real surprise, however, is the reach of the Kafka's project, the amount this history of a few episodes in the life of paper and ink, files and forms, has to teach us about the proximity of our expectations and frustrations with the modern bureaucratic state. It will be of particular interest to scholars interested in the contradictions of the revolutionary experience, but it will be equally rewarding to everyone who has dreamed of working in an office that works."andlt;Bandgt; -- James Swensonandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Kafka's book is a keen, vivacious examination of the frustrating 'unpredictability' of paperwork as a cultural institution." -- andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Kafka draws on methods and theories most often found in psychoanalysis, political theory, and histories of the book to craft a marvelously engaging and wonderfully witty study of papers, paperwork, and bureaucracy. At the center of this tremendously clever and pathos-laden interpretation is the crucial insight that 'paperwork, even when it works, fails us. We never get what we want." -- andlt;Bandgt;Rebecca Spangandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Cultureandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"[Kafka] pursues an argument that leads from paper to paperwork, "the psychic life of paperwork," the concepts of major thinkersand#133;it is provocative, original, and a very good read." andlt;Bandgt;Robert Darntonandlt;/Bandgt;, andlt;Iandgt; -- The New York Review of Booksandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; Zone Books
Review
Ben Kafka does the important job of reminding us that paperwork is part of the great human traditions, not only of communication and information, but also of revolution, existential philosophy, and for some, religion. Robert Darnton - The New York Review of Books
Review
Kafka examines the meaning and implications of this new regime, intertwining threads of historical narrative, psychoanalytic theory, and intriguing anecdotes into a thoroughly absorbing read. The New Republic
Synopsis
A history and theory of the powers, the failures, and even the pleasures of paperwork.
Since the middle of the eighteenth century, political thinkers of all kinds--radical and reactionary, professional and amateur--have been complaining about "bureaucracy." But what, exactly, are they complaining about?
In The Demon of Writing, Ben Kafka offers a critical history and theory of one of the most ubiquitous, least understood forms of media: paperwork. States rely on records to tax and spend, protect and serve, discipline and punish. But time and again, this paperwork proves to be unreliable. Examining episodes that range from the story of a clerk who lost his job and then his mind in the French Revolution to an account of Roland Barthes's brief stint as a university administrator, Kafka reveals the powers, the failures, and even the pleasures of paperwork. Many of its complexities, he argues, have been obscured by the comic-paranoid style that characterizes much of our criticism of bureaucracy. Kafka proposes a new theory of what Karl Marx called the "bureaucratic medium." Moving from Marx to Freud, he argues that this theory of paperwork must include both a theory of praxis and of parapraxis.
Synopsis
Since the middle of the eighteenth century, political thinkers of all kinds--radical and reactionary, professional and amateur--have been complaining about "bureaucracy." But what, exactly, are they complaining about?
In The Demon of Writing, Ben Kafka offers a critical history and theory of one of the most ubiquitous, least understood forms of media: paperwork. States rely on records to tax and spend, protect and serve, discipline and punish. But time and again, this paperwork proves to be unreliable. Examining episodes that range from the story of a clerk who lost his job and then his mind in the French Revolution to an account of Roland Barthes's brief stint as a university administrator, Kafka reveals the powers, the failures, and even the pleasures of paperwork. Many of its complexities, he argues, have been obscured by the comic-paranoid style that characterizes much of our criticism of bureaucracy. Kafka proposes a new theory of what Karl Marx called the "bureaucratic medium." Moving from Marx to Freud, he argues that this theory of paperwork must include both a theory of praxis and of parapraxis.
About the Author
Ben Kafka is an Assistant Professor of Media History and Theory at New York University and a candidate at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), a component society of the International Psychoanalytical Association. He works with adult and adolescent patients through the IPTAR Clinical Center and the NYC Free Clinic.