French Literature Reviews - 2026
Y. Constantinidès and D. MacDonald, Nietzsche the Awakened
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Nietzsche l'Éveillé
Yannis Constantinidès and Damien MacDonald
Paris: Ollendorff & Desseins, Coll. "Le sens figuré", 2009.
EAN 9782918002031
Publisher's presentation:
Ollendorff & Desseins, having previously published introductions to Spinoza and Foucault, has just released an illustrated book exploring the relationship between Nietzsche and Zen Buddhism. This is quite simply the first book to propose this unexpected parallel between "the first immoralist" and the very particular ethics of Zen. Excerpts are available to read on the publisher's website. The back cover text reads:
By examining him through his proximity to Zen Buddhism, this illustrated essay presents Nietzsche in a fresh light.
Astute readers will thus kill two birds with one stone, leaping from Western thought to Eastern thought and vice versa. They will discover the striking similarity in thought—the "strange family resemblance"—between the teachings of the German thinker and those of Master Dōgen, a 13th-century Japanese monk and philosopher.
Like Master Dōgen, Nietzsche sought to dismantle the illusory dualism of body and mind, and to transcend our perceptual and societal a priori, along with all those artificial reference points that distort reality.
In this sense, Awakening is the tranquil pursuit of thought unburdened by our intellectualized relationship with the world. *Nietzsche the Awakened* is far from the brutal iconoclast he is sometimes portrayed to be: he touches upon grace and illumination, inviting us to the spiritualization of the body and the transfiguration of everyday life.
Might he not, then, be "the Buddha of Europe" that he envisioned himself becoming?
The comparative study of Western philosophy and Eastern traditions has long occupied a space in modern intellectual history, often seeking to bridge disparate metaphysical frameworks. By juxtaposing the work of Friedrich Nietzsche with the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese monk Master Dōgen, this essay situates the German thinker within a broader cross-cultural dialogue. The text explores how both figures challenge conventional dualisms, particularly the separation of body and mind, while advocating for a transcendence of societal perceptions. Readers interested in the intersection of Continental philosophy and Zen Buddhist practice may find this thematic exploration relevant to their study of comparative thought.
The authors examine Nietzsche in relation to the spiritualization of the body and the transfiguration of daily existence. This perspective aligns with efforts to re-evaluate the philosopher's work beyond his reputation for radical critique. By analyzing his ideas through the lens of Zen, the book explores the possibility of an enlightened state, or Awakening, as a means of engaging with reality without the interference of intellectualized constructs. This approach frames the philosopher's project as a pursuit of clarity and presence, echoing the meditative traditions of the East.