French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Comte-Sponville, Du corps
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
André COMTE SPONVILLE, Du corps, Paris, PUF, 2009.
André Comte-Sponville originally wrote this text at the age of 26, but had never previously published it. It is now finally seeing the light of day as a book, preceded by an extensive preface in which the author traces its genesis. This early work is a youthful meditation. In many respects, it reads as an exercise in admiration—drawing on Montaigne and Pascal, Epicurus and Lucretius, Spinoza and Descartes, Marx and Freud—while also representing a radical departure from literary and intellectual modernity (Foucault, Deleuze, Barthes, Derrida, etc.). Across a dozen sections, it tackles major philosophical themes—such as art, freedom, truth, and religion—in a free, concise style akin to the aphorism that already fascinated the young writer. Twenty-eight years later, the author has barely revised his manuscript. While acknowledging its undeniably youthful and imperfect nature, he takes full ownership of it with the mature perspective of an accomplished man. "One must know how to think against one's time": such was already the guiding principle the writer set for himself upon graduating from Normale Sup. By publishing this text today, he remains true to that ethos.
Author Biography
André COMTE-SPONVILLE, philosopher and writer, is the author of numerous works, several of which appear in the *Perspectives critiques* series, notably *A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues* (5th ed.), which propelled him onto the French and international philosophical stage.
- 256 pages
- Publisher: Presses Universitaires de France - PUF (January 28, 2009)
- Series: Perspectives critiques
- Price: 14 €
- ISBN-10: 2130574211
- ISBN-13: 978-2130574217
This youthful text offers a striking window into the formation of a prominent contemporary French philosopher. Drawing inspiration from classical and modern thinkers such as Montaigne, Spinoza, and Marx, the work deliberately steps outside the dominant currents of twentieth-century literary and intellectual modernity associated with figures like Foucault and Derrida. Written in a concise, aphoristic style across a dozen thematic sections, the book engages enduring philosophical questions including freedom, art, and religion. It exemplifies an independent intellectual ethos committed to thinking against the spirit of one's own time.
The volume will appeal to readers interested in contemporary French philosophy, the evolution of moral thought, and the intellectual trajectory of André Comte-Sponville. Because it bridges an unpublished early manuscript with a mature retrospective preface, the book offers valuable insights into how philosophical convictions endure over decades. It serves as an accessible entry point into debates surrounding materialism, human embodiment, and the pursuit of truth, making it a rewarding addition for students of philosophy and general readers alike.