Synopses & Reviews
“In the sentence ‘Shes no longer suffering, to what, to whom does ‘she refer? What does that present tense mean?” —Roland Barthes, from his diary
The day after his mothers death in October 1977, Roland Barthes began a diary of mourning. For nearly two years, the legendary French theorist wrote about a solitude new to him; about the ebb and flow of sadness; about the slow pace of mourning, and life reclaimed through writing. Named a Top 10 Book of 2010 by The New York Times and one of the Best Books of 2010 by Slate and The Times Literary Supplement, Mourning Diary is a major discovery in Roland Barthess work: a skeleton key to the themes he tackled throughout his life, as well as a unique study of grief—intimate, deeply moving, and universal.
Review
“A belated and unexpected gift.” —
The London Review of Books “A writer whose books of criticism and personal musings must be admired as serious and beautiful works of the imagination.” —EDMUND WHITE
“Though Barthes left behind disciples, there can be no replacing him; his brilliance has a wavelength all its own.” —JOHN UPDIKE “This is pure Barthes: to write the very words that show how and why words have failed him.” —Thomas Larson, Contrary Magazine
Review
“A revelation to readers of the great Barthes.” —Judith Thurman, The New Yorker podcast
“This books unvarnished quality is the source of its wrecking cumulative power. Barthess ironic intellect is here wrapped around his nakedly beating heart.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“Precise and touching memories intersect with spare and at times desperate notes on time, death and grief, written despite ‘the fear of making literature out of it.” —Julian Barnes, The Times Literary Supplement
“A collection of aphorisms, sadnesses, self-analysis: a journal of savage intimacy.” —Adam Thirlwell, The New Republic
“A beautiful, lapidary portrait of mourning.” —Meghan ORourke, Slate
Synopsis
"In the sentence She's no longer suffering, ' to what, to whom does she' refer? What does that present tense mean?" Roland Barthes, from his diary
The day after his mother's death in October 1977, Roland Barthes began a diary of mourning. For nearly two years, the legendary French theorist wrote about a solitude new to him; about the ebb and flow of sadness; about the slow pace of mourning, and life reclaimed through writing. Named a Top 10 Book of 2010 by The New York Times and one of the Best Books of 2010 by Slate and The Times Literary Supplement, Mourning Diary is a major discovery in Roland Barthes's work: a skeleton key to the themes he tackled throughout his life, as well as a unique study of grief intimate, deeply moving, and universal.
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Synopsis
A New York Times Top 10 Book of 2010 and a Slate and Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2010, Mourning Diary gathers the notes Roland Barthes took for two years after his mothers death. It is a major discovery in the French theorists work: a skeleton key to the themes he tackled throughout his life, as well as a unique study of grief—intimate, deeply moving, and universal.
About the Author
Roland Barthes was born in 1915. A French literary theorist, philosopher, and critic, he influenced the development of various schools of theory, including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, and post-structuralism. He died in 1980.