Philosophy as World Literature

This is an important, timely, and much-needed collection of essays that not only builds bridges between philosophy and literature, but highlights the importance of global networks for both fields. * Susan Bassnett, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Glasgow, UK, and President of the British Comparative Literature Association *
Philosophy as World Literature is a valuable contemporary intervention in the long-running quarrel between the philosophers and poets. By reconceiving their relation in terms of the shared problem of ‘worlding,’ it replaces old struggles over universality with concrete issues of translation, migration, colonization, and alterity. In the process, a philosophical work’s textuality or a novel’s philosophical significance is shown to be determined, prior to any theoretical debate, by the facts of its translation, anthologizing, and circulation through networks that are global in scope. * Ralph M. Berry, Emeritus Professor of English, Florida State University, USA *
Certainly those of us who have long argued for the sisterhood of philosophy and literature, and labored to contribute to the tradition of an American philosophical fiction, will welcome Philosophy as World Literature with a cheer. But anyone and everyone who cares deeply about literature and philosophy will be thankful for this huge, necessary, and magnificent collection of illuminating essays. * Charles Johnson, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Washington, USA *