Gaston Bachelard - by Steven Connor (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Exploring his life, work, and thought, the story of this sui generis philosopher of science.

This is the first English biography of Gaston Bachelard, a philosopher who bridged the worlds of science and imagination. Raised in rural France, Bachelard served in the First World War, worked for the post office, and pursued degrees in science and philosophy while teaching in his local school. His journey led to a professorship at the Sorbonne, where he influenced many prominent postwar French thinkers. Known as both a philosopher of science and author of works on the imagination inspired by the elements--earth, air, fire, and water--Bachelard needed to negotiate a constant tension between science and poetry, calculation and dream. This biography provides a complete portrait of Bachelard, illuminating his struggles with the nature of knowledge itself.

Review Quotes

"Connor expertly explores Bachelard in all facets of his life and work, in an intimate portrait that also illuminates his eloquent struggles with the nature of knowledge itself (officially designated as the zone of epistemology) and his fascination with the elements, which Bachelard called the 'hormones of the imagination.'"-- "Critics at Large"

"Connor's biography of Bachelard charts a riveting journey of this remarkable French thinker from postman and soldier to Professor at the Sorbonne and philosopher of imagination par excellence. It shows how Bachelard's unique mind expressed a double fidelity to both rational science and poetic reverie. A creation combustion of images and ideas, to be greatly welcomed. The book is an intellectual delight."--Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Professor of Philosophy at Boston College

"In this first-ever biography of Gaston Bachelard in English, Connor not only narrates Bachelard's life, but presents and explains his works in an admirably accessible manner. This book is an excellent introduction to Bachelard, and a very good read."--Cristina Chimisso, professor of philosophy at the Open University and author of "Gaston Bachelard: Critic of Science and the Imagination"

"This brilliant and patient account of the life and writings of the preeminent mid-twentieth-century French philosopher illuminates themes of scientific reason and imaginative poetics that dominated Gaston Bachelard's wide-ranging concerns. Connor's book offers an astute guide through the puzzles and seductions of a stylistic master whose work remains crucial to contemporary thought."--Simon Schaffer, emeritus fellow, Darwin College, Cambridge

About the Author

Steven Connor is professor of English and director of research at the Digital Futures Institute, King's College London. He is the author of more than twenty books including The Madness of Knowledge and Dreamwork, both also published by Reaktion Books.