Conversations with René Girard

Book Synopsis

French theorist René Girard was one of the major thinkers of the twentieth century. Read by international leaders, quoted by the French media, Girard influenced such writers as J.M. Coetzee and Milan Kundera. Dubbed "the new Darwin of the human sciences" and one of the most compelling thinkers of the age, Girard spent nearly four decades at Stanford exploring what it means to be human and making major contributions to philosophy, literary criticism, psychology and theology with his mimetic theory.

This is the first collection of interviews with Girard, one that brings together discussions on Cervantes, Dostoevsky, and Proust alongside the causes of conflict and violence and the role of imitation in human behavior. Granting important insights into Girard's life and thought, these provocative and lively conversations underline Girard's place as leading public intellectual and profound theorist.

Review Quotes

"In Haven's collection, Girard's mimetic theory, with its ever-increasing range of applicability, comes forth forcefully. He had the rare gift of narrating ideas. Yet there is something else that the book reveals, which not only makes it a compelling read but deserves at least as much attention: the portrait of René Girard as a major public intellectual and one of the most seminal thinkers of our time; his uncompromising unorthodoxy and unusual position in American academia; the fascinating case of someone who, as a matter of both scholarly method and personal lifestyle, always seems to go against the flow, no matter the consequences." - Commonweal Magazine

"Cynthia Haven's fascinating new collection, Conversations with René Girard: Prophet of Envy, showcases Girard at both his most typical and his most surprising ... [It] offers a salutary reminder that the dialogue can still be one of the most provocative and valuable argumentative methods." --Los Angeles Review of Books

"For those already acquainted with Girard, the book is a good refresher, for those yet to engage with him, a good introduction. All will find abundant evidence that Girard is an invaluable interlocutor in conversations on the perennial problems of the human condition." - The Irish Catholic

"Interviewers solicit his views on topics ranging from U.S. partisan politics to jihadist terrorism to anorexia. The result is a portrait of an intellectual with a supple mind in dialogue with an eclectic array of influences." - Washington Examiner

"A vital book. It gave me René Girard as I've never before encountered him in a text: like looking at a diamond from eighteen different sides. Each interview reveals the fecundity of his thought and the brilliance of a mind that was able to probe the human condition in a singular way. It's full of fire." --Luke Burgis, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, The Catholic University of America, USA and Author of Wanting: Our Secret Economy of Desire

"Rene Girard was one of the most influential and important thinkers of the 20th century, much of his wisdom was dialogic in nature, and this volume brings together an excellent collection of conversations with him." --Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University, USA and Author of the "Marginal Revolution" Blog

"Covering the full scope of his thinking, from his reflections on desire and rivalry, right through to his final thoughts about modern warfare this really is a singularly valuable collection." --Chris Fleming, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Western Sydney University, Australia and Author of On Drugs

"Conversations with René Girard is sure to become an indispensable reference for readers interested in Girard's views on a wide range of topics, including such hot button issues as abortion, eugenics, same-sex marriage, anorexia, Islam, and Europe's demographic crisis. Cynthia Haven deserves tremendous credit for bringing these interviews, some of them hard to find, together in one volume." --George A. Dunn, Centre for Globalizing Civilization, Hangzhou, China

"This collection of interviews with the great French theorist René Girard offers an excellent presentation of his theories on mimetic desire, scapegoating and sacrificial violence, and the power of Biblical revelation. It covers Girard's remarkable explorations of everything from archaic cultures, to the great works of Western literature, to the crises of the contemporary world. An important book for scholars and the general public alike." --Richard J. Golsan, University Distinguished Professor and Senior Scowcroft Fellow, Texas A&M University, USA

About the Author

Cynthia L. Haven was previously Milena Jesenská Journalism Fellow at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, Austria, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, USA and Voegelin Fellow at the Hoover Institution, USA.

She is the author of Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard, the first-ever biography of the French theorist. She writes regularly for The Times Literary Supplement, and has contributed to The New York Times, The Nation, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. She has published several other books as well, including volumes on Czeslaw Milosz and Joseph Brodsky.