French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Cassin, Le bonheur, sa dent douce à la mort. Autobiographie philosophique
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Barbara Cassin,
Le bonheur, sa dent douce à la mort. Autobiographie philosophique
Fayard
Published 26/08/2020 — 252 p. — EAN: 9782213713090
You have the most beautiful legs in the world, you will be my wife or my mistress. That is what the love of my life became. Me, marry a Jew, never! Barbara, a Jew? Shut up, my boy, she's so nice. With infallible instinct, you will choose your seat. You're having lunch at that Nazi's table! How kind of you to recognize me, Jacques Lacan. It's not Greek! Madame, Madame, I've understood the etymology of con-cierge. How many books does it take to be considered well-read? What do you think of what you see? I love it when your body is joyful. Stop looking at him, let him go...
These phrases elevate the anecdote to the level of an idea. They act like proper names that serve as titles for memories. They construct a philosophical autobiography, told to my son Victor and written with him. By uttering them, I understand why and how they have shaped my life and thought.
Harsh as they sometimes are, they grant access to the tone of happiness. A mother-son endeavor that revives Char, Heidegger, Lacan, Greece, South Africa, Corsica, Jews, Catholics, Hungarians, Germans... With Ulysses as its figurehead, Homer's man who ventures where there is no way through, between Helen who ravishes and Barbara blah-blah.
Read an excerpt from the book…
View the book on the publisher's website…
*
An article about this work can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
"Thought as the Adventure of a Life", by Tiphaine Samoyault (online September 23, 2020).
Barbara Cassin's philosophical autobiography is a book brimming with enthusiasm, driven by the gods and by the contagious energy that the philosopher infuses into everything she does. A striking phrase, overheard rather than spoken, and remembered by the author, triggers the narrative of a slice of life and a reflection on wisdom, language, and the stranger. A truly remarkable testimony to how thought and existence intertwine.
The genre of the philosophical autobiography has a long tradition, tracing back to classical thinkers who examined their own lives to extract broader truths about human existence. In this work, Barbara Cassin contributes to this lineage by using specific, overheard phrases as catalysts for deeper intellectual reflection. By linking personal anecdotes to encounters with major twentieth-century figures like Jacques Lacan, Martin Heidegger, and René Char, the narrative demonstrates how everyday language and personal relationships shape philosophical inquiry. The work reflects on how language, wisdom, and personal existence intertwine.
Central to this collaborative mother-son project are reflections on wisdom, language, and the concept of the stranger. These themes are viewed through various cultural and geographical lenses, ranging from Greece and Corsica to South Africa. The text invokes Ulysses, described as Homer's man who ventures where there is no way through. Readers interested in contemporary French philosophy and the intersection of personal narrative with linguistic theory may find this reflective account particularly relevant to their studies.