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Blanchot Reader inchol is one ol the most profound and influential investigators and analysts of the contemporary literary and philosophical tradition is acknowledged by such eminent thinkers as Derrida, Levinas, Nancy and The Lacoue-Labarthe. His impact on French thinking and culture over the last fifty years has been enormous, yet he still remains a writer whose work, though often cited, is little known to the English-speaking reader. BLANCHOT In The Blanchot Reader Michael Holland fulfils an urgent need and does so in a way that provides a coherent perspective on what by any standard is an extraordinary personal and intellectual career. We see how Blanchot in the 1940s anticipated later post-Sartrean trends, as followed by, among others, Samuel Beckett and the practitioners of the nouvcau roman. We discover how the READER linguistic turn of the 1950s took place for Blanchot in a political climate, while also occurring within literature and philosophy, and we trace the emergence of the enlrelien, a dialogue format used by Blanchot to interrogate the writing of his contemporaries, and beyond this to entertain a real dialogue with the 'Other' and so to broach the question of ultimate responsibility . The volume concludes with a consideration of Blanchot's development of the 'fragment' in his philosophical and his political writings, as well as in those devoted to literature. A final subsection focuses on his recent commentary on Moses and Aaron, dedicated to Jacques Derrida. A chronology of Blanchot's career and a succinct primary and secondary bibliography are also included, together with a list of English translations of Blanchot's work. Michael Holland Hie editor is a Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford, and a lecturer in French at Oxford University. He is soon to publish the first comprehensive study of Maurice Blanchot's life as a writer. Cover design by Martin Miller Cover illustration: Rembrandt. Ilckhazzar's Feast, detail, oil on canvas. 167.6 x 209.2 cms. reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the National Gallery. I j>ndon. Edited by Michael Holland BLACKWELL Oxford UK * Camknd,, ISA The Blanchot Reader Maurice Blanchot Edited by Michael Holland BLACKWELL Oxford UK rr Cambridge USA Copyright S Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1995 Introduction, arrangement and apparatus copyright (0 Michael Holland 1995 First published in English 1995 Contents Original publication of material by Maurice Blanchot copyright C<* Maurice Blanchot. See individual essays for dates of publication. Blackwell Publishers Ltd 108 Cowley Road Oxford OX4 1JF, UK Preface vii Blackwell Publishers Inc. Acknowledgements ix 238 Main Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA Introduction 1 All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of Part I: How is Literature Possible? 17 criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retreival system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, 1 The Silence of Writers (1941) 25 photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. 2 The Search for Tradition (1941) 29 Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that 3 The Beginnings of a Novel (1938) 33 it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise 4 The Recent Novel (1941) 35 circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other 5 The Pure Novel (1943) 38 than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this 6 Mallarme and the Art of the Novel (1943) 43 condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. 7 How is Literature Possible? (1943) 49 8 The Novel is a Work of Bad Faith (1947) 61 British Library Cataloguing in I'ublication Data 9 Sade's Reason (1947) 74 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Part II: The Turning-Point 101 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 10 Madness par excellence (1951) 110 The Blanchot reader, Maurice Blanchot / edited by Michael Holland, 11 Artaud(1956) 129 p. cm. 12 The Disappearance of literature (1953) 136 Includes bibliographical references and index. 13 The Pursuit of the Zero Point (1953) 143 ISBN 0-631-19083-X (alk. paper). - ISBN 0-631-19084-8 (pbk.) 1. Literature - Philosophy. 2. Blanchot, Maurice - Criticism and interpretation. 14 The Death of the Last Writer (1955) 151 I. Holland, Michael, 1950-. 15 The Great Hoax (1958) 157 PN49.B54 1995 /""VL> 16 Essential Perversion (1958) 167 801' 95 '092-dc20 94-45210 CIP 9 5 0 8 8 0 <1 17 On a Change of Epoch (1960) 174 Typeset by Pure Tech Corporation, Pondicherry, India Part III: Our Responsibility 183 Printed in Great Britain by i— 18 The Right to Insubordination (1960) 196 T.J. Press Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall. /v< C?" 19 Disorderly Words (1968) 200 This book is printed on acid-free paper. 20 Intellectuals under Scrutiny (1984) 206 vi Contents 21 The Indestructible (i) Being Jewish (1962) (ii) Humankind (1962) 22 'Do Not Forget' (1988) Part IV: The Step Beyond Preface 23 The Name Berlin (1961) 24 The Conquest of Space (1961) -25 Waiting (1959) When Peter Hoy first introduced me to Maurice Blanchot's work in 1970, 26 The Exigency of Return (1969) his name was almost unknown in the English-speaking world, except as that 27 The Exigency of Return (1970) of the author of brilliant occasional pieces about other authors. Ten years 28 Oh All to End (1990) later he was already beginning to be translated in America and, as the 1980s 29 The Ease of Dying (1969) progressed, more and more of his books, both fiction and non-fiction, began 30 Thanks (Be Given) to Jacques Derrida (1990) to appear in English. Today that process is virtually complete. Not before time, the availability of Blanchot's work in English is today commensurate Blanchot in English, by Peter C. Hoy with the interest being shown in his work on both sides of the Atlantic. It is deeply sad that Peter Hoy, who died in 1993, will not see the fruits of his Index generous contribution to the Reader of a comprehensive bibliography of Blanchot in English. My thanks go to Joan Head, Alysoun Stewart and Tyler Jo Smith for enabling me to include it posthumously. This Reader is not the first selection of Blanchot's writings to appear in translation. What distinguishes it, however, is a desire to situate its author squarely in his time. Precisely because the translation of his works is nearing completion, it is more than ever necessary to counter what has proved a powerful temptation for Blanchot's readers, in France and elsewhere: to respond to the peculiar importance of his writing, in its relation to time and to history, as if it took place outside time and took no account of history. As Michel Surya wrote in 1990: 'what is not generally known is that, throughout his life, Maurice Blanchot displayed intense public presence' (see Lignes, 11 (September 1990),p. 161). If no account is taken of this, his work will simply appear esoteric and its substance will be impoverished. Too much of what has been written about Blanchot has contributed to such an impoverishment. In short, therefore, the purpose of the Blanchot Reader is to serve as a vade mecum for Blanchot's readers, providing points of orientation for them within the fifty-year period from 1940 to 1990, during which the main body of his writing was produced - a period which was, both histor­ ically and personally, one of enormous change. First of all, I should like to thank Maurice Blanchot for the positive support he has given to the project; may he see the Reader as a token of my respect. I should also like to thank Stephan Chambers, as well as Steve Smith and then Andrew McNeillie of Blackwells for the unstinting encour­ agement they provided during what turned out to be a long, slow gestation VIM Preface period for this Reader. In the final stages, Sandra Raphael proved a patient and supportive guide. My thanks go, too, to the translators who worked with me: Susan Hanson, Leslie Hill, Roland-Francois Lack, Ian Maclachlan, Ann Smock, Chris Stevens and Michael Syrotinski. Their skill and re­ sourcefulness was matched only by the spirit of cooperation with which they approached this collective undertaking. Finally, Ann Jefferson was a con­ Acknowledgements stant source of strength, a dear and loving helpmeet. Michael Holland April 1995 The editor and publisher would like to thank the following for permission to include the material collected in this edition: 'The Recent Novel', 'Mal- larme and the Art of the Novel', copyright © 1943 and 1971, Editions Gallimard; 'Artaud', 'The Disappearance of Literature', 'The Pursuit of the Zero Point', 'The Death of the Last Writer', copyright © 1959, Editions Gallimard; 'How is Literature Possible?', Editions Jose Corti; 'Sade's Rea­ son', copyright © 1949 and 1963, Les Editions de Minuit; 'Madness par excellence', copyright © 1953 and 1971, Les Editions de Minuit; 'The Ease of Dying', copyright © 1994, the University of Nebraska Press; articles originally published in Jean Paulhan, Progress of Love on the Slow Side, translated by Michael Syrotinski and Christine Laennec; 'On a Change of Epoch', 'The Indestructible', 'The Exigency of Return (1969)', copyright © 1993, the Regents of the University of Minnesota; 'The Right to Insubordi­ nation', Mme Madeleine Chapsal; Bernard Wall's translation of 'La raison de Sade' appeared in Horizon, vol. XX (December 1949-January 1950), pp. 423-51, under the title 'The Marquis de Sade'; also Mme Francoise Laye and MM. Jean Piel, Pierre Nora, Yvon Bres.
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