Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
NYRB Classics (1999), Paperback, 280 pages
Description
Translated from the Danish by Walter Lowrie, David Swenson, and Alexander Dru The Danish philosopher Kierkegaard is one of the master thinkers of the modern age, a defining influence on existentialism and on twentieth-century theology, and this brilliantly tailored selection from his vast and varied writings--made by the great English poet W.H Auden--is a perfect introduction to his work. Auden's inspired and incisive response to a thinker who had done much to shape his own beliefs is a fundamental reading of an author whose spirit remains as radical as ever more than 150 years after he wrote.
User reviews
LibraryThing member elfortunawe
W.H. Auden made heavy use of Kierkegaard in his poetry, and credited the writer, in a late poem, with being a major factor in his return to Christianity. Auden puts this familiarity to good use in a concise, lucid introduction to Kierkegaard and his ideas, followed by extracts from Kierkegaard's
Though his writings are often brilliantly poetic and often deeply philosophic, Kierkegaard was neither a poet nor a philosopher, but a preacher, an expounder and defender of Christian doctrine and Christian conduct. The near contemporary with whom he may be properly compared is not someone like Dostoevsky or Hegel, but that other great preacher of the nineteenth century, John Henry, later Cardinal, Newman. (p.vii)
This book is an excellent introduction to Kirekegaard, a writer who can be intimidating to the uninitiated. It could also serve a kind of introduction to Auden, whose poetry is saturated with Kierkegaard's thought. It is also well-suited to typical coffee table use, as something to peruse for those kinds of surprising baubles that stay with one the rest of the day.
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works which cover his major themes. Auden's apparent goal is to replace Kierkegaard in his original role and context. The introduction begins:Though his writings are often brilliantly poetic and often deeply philosophic, Kierkegaard was neither a poet nor a philosopher, but a preacher, an expounder and defender of Christian doctrine and Christian conduct. The near contemporary with whom he may be properly compared is not someone like Dostoevsky or Hegel, but that other great preacher of the nineteenth century, John Henry, later Cardinal, Newman. (p.vii)
This book is an excellent introduction to Kirekegaard, a writer who can be intimidating to the uninitiated. It could also serve a kind of introduction to Auden, whose poetry is saturated with Kierkegaard's thought. It is also well-suited to typical coffee table use, as something to peruse for those kinds of surprising baubles that stay with one the rest of the day.
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LibraryThing member le.vert.galant
The earliest philosopher who reads like a modern thinker. Kierkegaard had two strikes against him: he was 1) a Dane, and 2) a Christian. Irregardless, he deals with subjectivity, angst, and the absurd. His writing style is aphoristic and often ironic.
Auden's anthology captures the breadth of
Auden's anthology captures the breadth of
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Kierkegaard's thinking at the expense of his extended meditations. Even so, it's an excellent entry into his philosophy. It helps that Auden shares Kierkegaard's faith. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
Danish
Physical description
280 p.; 8.04 inches
ISBN
0940322137 / 9780940322134
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