Georges Bataille Libros

Georges Bataille, con el seudónimo de Pierre Angélique, había publicado, en 1941 y en 1945, dos ediciones clandestinas de Madame Edwarda. En 1956, Bataille entregó el libro a su editor, J.-J. Pauvert, para que lo publicara por primera vez en edición comercial, manteniendo en seudónimo, pero añadiendo un prefacio firmado con su nombre. Diez años después, una vez muerto Bataille, apareció finalmente la edición definitiva con el nombre real del autor.Bataille había concebido publicar, en un solo volumen, Madame Edwarda, seguido de Mi madre y de otros dos textos. (Encontrarán más información acerca de este proyecto en Mi madre, ya publicado en esta misma colección, n.o 19). Finalmente fueron publicados por separado y, ahora, debido a la brevedad del texto de Madame Edwarda -y de El muerto (libro que no entraba en este proyecto de Bataille)-, decidimos, con la autorización del editor francés, reunirlos en un solo volumen, en la edición española.Madame Edwarda es la imagen misma de la mujer transgresora, de esa mujer que, proveniendo de lo que concebimos como el Mal, pasa a ser Dios por su omnipotente poder de disponer de su vida, de su sexo y de su muerte. El hombre que la sigue, cautivado, presa de un miedo atávico, encuentra en ella la total realización del Deseo.El muerto, publicado póstumamente en 1967, está compuesto de veintiocho escenas breves que narran las últimas horas de una mujer cuyo amante acaba de morir en sus brazos.Ese coito interruptus la precipita en un vertiginoso dédalo de vivencias eróticas en las que ella misma va al encuentro de su amante, en la muerte...Se trata de dos pequeños tesoros literarios que harán las delicias de quienes aman la Literatura, de quienes aman el Erotismo y de quienes aman la Literatura Erótica.

Hailed as "one of France's best minds" by Martin Heidegger, Georges Bataille has become a pivotal figure in American thought, influencing thinkers like Barthes, Foucault, Derrida, and Kristeva. For the first time in English, this volume is the final part of Bataille's significant work, The Atheological Summa, which includes Inner Experience and Guilty. Originally published in 1945, it represents Bataille's closest attempt to formulate his own system—an "atheology." Nietzsche profoundly impacted Bataille's life, leading him to abandon Catholicism for a unique form of godless mysticism after a personal crisis. In this work, Bataille extends Nietzsche's exploration of spirituality beyond religion, addressing how one can lead a spiritual life without traditional faith. He critiques fascist interpretations of Nietzsche, discusses Nietzsche's conflicts with Richard Wagner, and condemns German anti-Semitism, portraying Nietzsche as a prophet of "the crude German fate." The text serves as a journal that intertwines observations with fragments, aphorisms, poems, and myths against the backdrop of war and occupation. Bataille transitions seamlessly between abstraction and confession, connecting his internal struggles with the external chaos of his time. This volume reaffirms Michel Foucault's assertion that Bataille "broke with traditional narrative to tell us what has never been told before."

Exploring the complexities of an enigmatic thinker, this book delves into the literary, philosophical, and theological themes that define their work. It offers fresh insights and perspectives, illuminating the intricate connections between their ideas and broader cultural contexts. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the intellectual landscape shaped by this influential figure, enriching their appreciation of their contributions to literature and thought.

The narrative explores a profound spiritual and communal crisis, highlighting how the death of God serves as a catalyst for forging deep friendships. It delves into the transformative power of connection amidst turmoil, revealing how loss can lead to new beginnings and bonds. Through personal reflections, the author navigates themes of faith, companionship, and the human experience in the face of existential challenges.

Having spent the early thirties in far-left groups opposing Fascism, in 1937 Georges Bataille abandoned this approach so as to transfer the struggle onto the mythological plane, founding two groups with this aim in mind. The College of Sociology gave lectures attended by major figures from the Parisian intelligentsia - intended to reveal the hidden undercurrents within a society that appeared to be bordering on collapse. The texts in this book comprise lectures given to the College; essays from the Acephale journal and a large cache of the internal papers of the secret society of Acephale.

Outlines a mystical theology and experience of the sacred founded on the absence of god. Originally published in 1943, Inner Experience is the single most significant work by one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers. It outlines a mystical theology and experience of the sacred founded on the absence of god. Bataille calls Inner Experience a “narrative of despair,” but also describes it as a book wherein “profundity and passion go tenderly hand in hand.” Herein, he says, “The mind moves in a strange world where anguish and ecstasy take shape.” Bataille’s search for experience begins where religion, philosophy, science, and literature leave off, where doctrines, dogmas, methods, and the arts collapse. His method of meditation, outlined and documented here, commingles horror and delight. Laughter, intoxication, eroticism, poetry, and sacrifice are pursued not as ends in and of themselves but as means of access to a sovereign realm of inner experience. This new translation is the first to include Method of Meditation and Post-Scriptum 1953, the supplementary texts Bataille added to create the first volume of his Summa Atheologica. This edition also offers the full notes and annotations from the French edition of Bataille’s Oeuvres Complètes, along with an incisive introductory essay by Stuart Kendall that situates the work historically, biographically, and philosophically.

Exploring the depths of surrealism, this collection of essays by George Bataille offers a thought-provoking analysis that challenges conventional perspectives. Renowned for his controversial views, Bataille delves into the intersection of art, philosophy, and the human experience, making a significant contribution to the understanding of surrealism. His incisive writing invites readers to confront complex themes and embrace the provocative nature of the surrealist movement.

Since the publication of Visions of Excess in 1985, there has been an explosion of interest in the work of Georges Bataille. The French surrealist continues to be important for his groundbreaking focus on the visceral, the erotic, and the relation of society to the primeval. This collection of prewar writings remains the volume in which Batailles's positions are most clearly, forcefully, and obsessively put forward. This book challenges the notion of a "closed economy" predicated on utility, production, and rational consumption, and develops an alternative theory that takes into account the human tendency to lose, destroy, and waste. This collection is indispensible for an understanding of the future as well as the past of current critical theory.Georges Bataille (1897-1962), a librarian by profession, was founder of the French review Critique. He is the author of several books, including Story of the Eye, The Accused Share, Erotism, and The Absence of Myth.

Georges Bataille's exploration of sacrifice, eroticism, taboo, and transgression offers profound insights into social theory, making his work pivotal in modern and postmodern discourse. His influence on prominent thinkers like Foucault and Derrida underscores his significance in contemporary philosophy. This volume curates selections from his extensive academic contributions, highlighting the interplay between identity and societal constructs, thereby enriching discussions surrounding post-structuralism and the complexities of human experience.