Heidegger and the Politics of Poetry
Heideggers politically motivated use of poetry and its relation to currents of modern thought
This volume collects and translates Philippe Lacoue-Labarthes studies of Heidegger, written and revised between 1990 and 2002. All deal with Heideggers relation to politics, specifically through Heideggers interpretations of the poetry of Hölderlin. Lacoue-Labarthe argues that it is through Hölderlin that Heidegger expresses most explicitly his ideas on politics, his nationalism, and the importance of myth in his thinking, all of which point to substantial affinities with National Socialism.
Lacoue-Labarthe not only examines the intellectual background--including Romanticism and German ideology--of Heideggers uses and abuses of poetry, but he also attempts to reestablish the vexed relationship between poetry and philosophy outside the bounds of the Heideggerian reading. He turns to Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, as well as Paul Celan, arguing for the necessity of poetry as an engagement with history. While Heideggers readings of Hölderlin attempt to appropriate poetry for mythic and political ends, Lacoue-Labarthe insists that poetry and thought can, and must, converge in another way. Jeff Fort provides a precise translation capturing the spirit and clarity of Lacoue-Labarthes writing, as well as an introduction clearly situating the debates addressed in these essays.
"In this wonderful new English translation, Fort provides some of Lacoue-Labarthe's finest thinking and a clear and memorable account of the entire range of this thinking. . . . This volume will soon be appreciated as a substantial advance over the earlier argument. . . . This tour de force in the history of philosophy and literature is not to be missed. . . . Highly recommended."Choice
Lacoue-Labarthes approach to Heidegger is unique in that he combines devastating criticism with an appreciation of the immense importance Heideggers thought still has for the future of philosophy.--Southern Humanities Review
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