Summary
Alexandra Laignel-Lavastine: Ghosts of Europe Alexandra Laignel-Lavastine's book "Ghosts of Europe" wants to reflect on the ethical foundations of European civilization through the prism of an insufficiently researched dissident culture and is located between philosophy, history of ideas and intellectual biographies. In our completely horizontal world, in which the technical and economic spirit prevails, supplemented by the individualistic withdrawal of intellectuals from public life, this book brings hope and real spiritual refreshment. It greatly enriches our insufficient knowledge about everything that Eastern European intellectuals had to say about Europe and the current crisis. At a moment when we are witnessing the impoverishment of European universalism, the narrowing of intellectual needs, the loss of educational ideals, technical absolutization, the questioning of the relationship to Europe, the search of its essence and character becomes inevitable like conscience at work. Through a meticulous analysis of the works and actions of the leading dissidents of that time, Jan Patočka, Czeslaw Milosz, Istvan Bibo, Karol Kosik, Thomas Venclova, Zbigniew Bauman and many others, she shows the extent to which dissidence is inextricably linked with the culture and idea of Europe, that is, with critical thinking about modern civilization and the alienation of the individual in the face of the hypertrophy of power. Alexandra Laignel-Lavastine completed her philosophy and doctorate at the Sorbonne. Since then, she has devoted herself to writing essays and a university career. Jorge Semprun called her "an outstanding analyst of the cultural traditions of the other Europe". She wrote the important books "Nationalism and Philosophy" (1998) and the especially well-reviewed and well-known: Cioran, Eliade and Ionesco: Forgetting Fascism" (2002). She also dedicated a large part of her research to Jan Patočka in order to publish a large monograph about him: Jan Patočka: the spirit of dissidence. (1998). Her latest essay "Zabludjela masao" (2015) had a lot of resonance in France. "Spirits of Europe" received a number of European awards, the most famous of which is "Charles Veillon" (2005) and is considered a synthesis of her entire work. (KL2)
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