A Summer with Montaigne: Notes on a Man Without Prejudice

Description

In his writing and his person, Michel de Montaigne embodied the Humanist ideal. He stands at the start of the French Renaissance in philosophy and literature. But what does Montaigne have to tell us about how to think and live today? In forty short and lively chapters written over a single summer, Antoine Compagnon seeks answers to that question. Compagnon and his subject are congenial, erudite companions. Both are vivid reminders that while ever there are people willing to consider carefully, observe passionately, and speak measuredly, there is hope. A few years ago, Antoine Compagnon was asked to host a radio broadcast, every day for an entire summer, on a formidable subject: Michel de Montaigne. From that experience came this engaging and entertaining book, A Summer with Montaigne. An intelligent and thought-provoking treatise in forty chapters that will introduce readers unfamiliar with Montaigne to his unique brilliance and remind those who already know Montaigne's work of its vitality, force, and enduring timeliness. Compagnon breathes life into the musings of Montaigne, approaching his subject not as the recluse many imagine him to have been, but rather a multi-faceted individual of complex thought and astonishing analytical prowess. Once the mayor of Bordeaux, Montaigne was a committed spirit of his time, advising his powerful contemporaries and always in touch with the questions and concerns of the moment, of which many remain pressing today. Composed over a period of twenty years, Montaigne's Essays deal with timeless themes. From the problems posed by religion, war, power and friendship to the ridiculousness of our weaknesses, Montaigne's Essays remain a moving commentary on what it means to be a human being in any age.

Antoine Compagnon is a Professor of French Literature at College de France, Paris, and the Blanche W. Knopf Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, New York. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary degrees from King's College London, HEC Paris, and the University of Liege. Tina Kover's translations for Europa include Negar Djavadi's National Book Award-shortlisted novel, Disoriental, Anna Gavalda's Life, Only Better, and The Little Girl on the Ice Floe by Adelaide Bon. Kover is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for the translation of Manette Salomon by the Goncourt brothers.

Praise for A Summer with Montaigne "Rarely has Europe produced anything finer in terms of piercing analysis or moral subtlety. . . . This small book of 40 short chapters brings the man to life and shows his questions, ideas, and solutions to be every bit as relevant as they were in the 16th century." --New York Journal of Books "Nothing could be easier to read; these pages are to be savored like a little glass of pastis in the summer." --Paris Match "A lucid, joyful work that is no more serious than it needs to be." --Telerama "The clarity of Compagnon's meditations brings this towering French Renaissance man miraculously close." --Elle "Illustrates Montagine's 'art of living beautifully' while remaining as close as possible to Montaigne's Essays, lingering on its delicacies, and selecting the most enjoyable of its truths as well as its delights." --L'Express "A tribute to a classic author who is still well and truly in touch with the spirit of the times." --ActuaLitte "The clarity of Compagnon's analysis renders this once intimidating French Renaissance man miraculously close." --ELLE "This small book of 40 short chapters brings the man to life and shows his questions, ideas, and solutions to be every bit as relevant as they were in the 16th century."--New York Journal of Books "Agreeably useful reading in any season; as Compagnon quotes from Montaigne's concluding essay, 'Aesop, that great man, saw his master piss as he walked 'What then, ' said he, 'must we drop as we run?' Let us manage our time; there yet remains a great deal idle and ill employed.' Recommended for Montaigne scholars and general readers alike."--Library Journal