a collection of unusually profound literary reviews that put sartre's philosophy into practice. these essays have great value not only as literary reviews but as philosophical treatises (for lack of a better word). he reveals the style of a piece and demonstrates how it conveys or maybe betrays a meaning. existential psychoanalysis applied to literary reviews? included is an especially acute review of camus' the stranger (translated here as the outsider). very enjoyable, profound, and readable. highly recommended

Genet based 'The Maids' on an actual event, one he felt a certain kin-ship with. In 1933 french police found Madame Lancelin and her daughter face down, in their living room, utterly mutilated. The eyes had disappeared, all teeth had been knocked out, fragments of bone and flesh were strewn about the floor, walls covered in blood. Upstairs the two servant-maids, the Papin sisters, were found naked, huddled together in one of two single beds. Immediately they confessed. Immediately, also, the papers picked up the story. The public was facinated how these two soft-spoken, mild-mannered girls, without provocation could have acted with such wild brutality. Senseless, irrational violence - Genet's speciality. He uses this story as a means to attack conformaty. A massive revolt against obedience, servitude, and the upperclass. A bloody triumph of individuality . Like other of Genet's works, it primaraly is concerned with Man's free will, or lack there-of. It is an existential story , revealing the darker sides of freedom, and the horror of the responsibility that comes with it. A tale worthy of Genet's genious. Exellent translation. Fans of Genet should also Check out Octave Mirbeau.

"The Wall and other short stories" is a triumph in literature. Each story explores the depths of human thought and reason through an existential point of view. Each story can be interpreted different by all readers, therefore making this a great book for discussion.

"The Wall" is the first story presented. It consumes the reader because of its brilliant writing style. The story is narrated by a man named Pablo Ibbieta, who is in a jail cell with 2 others awaiting execution the following morning. Every event that transpires that particular night is analyzed almost too thoroughly thus leaving the reader in a trance. I wont get into it too deeply, but believe me, this story is worth reading...i guarentee it will have to be read again. After finishing the story, I felt as though nothing mattered. Who cares if the dishes were not washed, who cares if I would be late for work. Believe me, this story will have a profound impact on the way you think. Don't be surprised if you have a new appreciation for life. This story enlightens the mind.

Another great story from this book is called "Erostratus". Erostratus was a character who wanted to be famous, so he burned down the temple of Ephesus, which was one of the 7 wonders of the world. This is the central symbol of the story, the quest for glory. It also brings up an interesting point when the narrator asks one of his colleagues "Who built Ephesus?" and the colleauge did not know, he only knew who burned it. "Erostratus" in short is one mans decent into madness because of his quest to be remembered. The ending of "Erostratus" is filled with suspense and makes your heart beat in fear. It serves as a grim reminder that there are people of this type, and we should be prepared at any time for them to strike.

There are also 3 other stories, that being "The Room", "Intimacy", and "The Childhood of a Leader", which also draw the reader inside the workings of the mind through an existential window (ie: we are all here by accident, man is condemned to choose).

In short, these stories are all perfect, and leave the reader with a feeling of enlightment. Sartre is an extremely intelligent and clever writer. This is evident in these short stories. So turn off the television, buy this book, and start questioning your existence, you owe it to yourself. Besides, they are short stories, so you will be able to get through at least one a day...that isnt much to ask considering the benefits you will reap by reading them.

This is an excellent translation of a long, extremely important - though fragmentary - text by Sartre, posthumously-published and still quite seriously neglected. It is well-known that, in Being and Nothingness, Sartre promised to publish a treatise on ethics, the implication being that it would be based on the ontology of that work. Notebooks for an Ethics shows him struggling to fulfil that promise, but ultimately failing as his basic perspective changes. It is indispensable reading for anyone having, or seeking, a view on whether it is possible to build an ethics upon the foundations of Sartre's early existentialism.

hauntingly beautiful photographs of the best Paris has to offe

This is an efficient and careful monograph that succeeds on many levels. Grohmann was Klee's biographer and longtime friend. He is respectful without being sycophantic, and thorough but never plodding. He uses a variety of source materials, including Klee's own writings (diaries and letters). Grohmann establishes Klee's lasting importance to art and to painting by asserting, "It is as though he were still among us, to be consulted on every problem of life and art." Grohmann's generous(40 pages, 58 illustrations) and lively essay on Klee is also charming and personal. It combines biography, criticism, a wealth of references, and thought-provoking appreciation. It's generously illustrated with photographs of Klee and his studio, plus ink, tusche, chalk, and pencil drawings, collage, watercolor, tempera, and oil paintings, a woodcut study, and etchings.

The text that accompanies the following forty color plates (a selection of paintings) is the calm, clear art criticism that Grohmann is so good at. The plates' reproduced colors are good but not great. What's best is that Grohmann is such an able teacher. He describes each painting straightforwardly, and then asks intelligent questions, suggests answers that seem well-thought-out, and inspires one to further thought and research. His friendship with Klee gave him some additional understanding of his friend's work and lifelong passions and motives.

A very worthwhile book on a great artist.

This is an installment in the Les Grands Chefs d'Orchestre series that Mousnier has been working on for quite awhile.

Mousnier doesn't hide the fact that his admiration for Paul Paray goes quite beyond what he has for others in the series. But there is no hint of the "groupie" boosterism that clouds so many such books. This is an impeccable, scholarly study that takes us--as far as we can go--into the world of artistic genius that Paray inhabited.

The writer offers considered probity into determining what it actually was that Paul Paray did to imbue his art with such enormity, such sense of occasion, such a sense of history. Paray concerts were unique in their electric atmosphere that palpably moved both audiences and musicians. Seating and acoustic diagrams, transcripts from key rehearsals, repertoire sheets and some cogent snippets of what Paray would actually say off the podium combine with telling analysis of where the Maitre fit into the international music scene. It all makes for absorbing, fascinating, "thrilling" (critics' favorite adjective for Paray) reading.

Certainly, Paray was a fascinating personality, too--a war hero and a racconteur equally--but while Mousnier acknowledges this, he stays somewhat away from it, too. This is fortunate because Paray never spoke of what his connections with the Resistance were, and what hold he had on the occupying Nazis that allowed him to get away with what he did. Mousnier lets it rest that the old man had mysteries and facets to his life that we simply aren't ever going to know about. Mousnier concentrates on the mystery of Paray's musical genius that, after all, is the greatest of all his genii, and the one he dedicated to the world.

I also find it telling the Mousnier has been the producer of some of the coveted releases of Paul Paray that emanate from the ORTF archives. I own these, and the live recordings are just as amazing as any of Paray's studio efforts.

I urge those who truly care about the art of conducting to find a copy of this book, have it translated if need be, and plunge into the world and the mind of one of the 20th Century's deepest and most alluring musical minds.

This volume contains exceptional philosophical articles on the philosophy of Sartre. It covers every and all aspect of his life and thoughts. The critiques pull no punches and omit nothing. This work takes a hard look at the soundness of Sartre's philosophy. To find out if they hold up, read this volume. p.s. The interview with Sartre durring his later years is worth the price of the book alone. If you like Sartre, you will love this book.

If the only thing you read in this book is the first chapter, it will have been worth every penny you spent on it. Dominick LaCapra is merciless in his approach to Sartre's philosophy from the point of view of post-modern textual analysis. The book might also be described as "the student (LaCapra) of the student (Derrida) takes on the professor (Sartre)." But, if that in any way minimizes LaCapra, I would be wrong to suggest it. This generation of French philosophy is out to do nothing less than rewrite all of intellectual history. And LaCapra is one of their foremost spokesmen. This is no small task, the results of which have yet to be seen. LaCapra, in this and other works, makes a formidable argument as to why this needs to be done. And Sartre, of course, is one of the icons that needs to be dealt with. In some ways, this particular book is somewhat unsatisfying. But, it serves to make its point. The battle lines have been drawn. Even Michel Foucault is seen as "the older generation" from this vantage point. Quite interesting, as intellectual works go.

Psychological research has veered away from qualitative design, often because the methodologies have been misunderstood. Dr. Camic and his colleagues offer us a great deal in this book. Chapters talk about both attitude and strategies. Some are familiar methods, others are newer. It is an essential book for students and researchers, and I hope it will bring more psychologists back to qualitative work.