Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 1

PART I JACKIE 1930–1962

1 The Negus 1930–1942 9

2 Under the Sun of Algiers 1942–1949 19

3 The Walls of Louis-le-Grand 1949–1952 35

4 The École Normale Supérieure 1952–1956 59

5 A Year in America 1956–1957 80

6 The Soldier of Koléa 1957–1959 92

7 Melancholia in Le Mans 1959–1960 108

8 Towards Independence 1960–1962 113

PART II DERRIDA 1963–1983

1 From Husserl to Artaud 1963–1964 127

2 In the Shadow of Althusser 1963–1966 144

3 Writing Itself 1965–1966 155

4 A Lucky Year 1967 170

5 A Period of Withdrawal 1968 186

6 Uncomfortable Positions 1969–1971 207

7 Severed Ties 1972–1973 230

8 Glas 1973–1975 256

9 In Support of Philosophy 1973–1976 267

10 Another Life 1976–1977 288

11 From the Nouveaux Philosophes to the Estates General 1977–1979 298

12 Postcards and Proofs 1979–1981 308

13 Night in Prague 1981–1982 332

14 A New Hand of Cards 1982–1983 342

PART III JACQUES DERRIDA 1984–2004

1 The Territories of Deconstruction 1984–1986 355

2 From the Heidegger Aff air to the de Man Aff air 1987–1988 379

3 Living Memory 1988–1990 402

4 Portrait of the Philosopher at Sixty 417

5 At the Frontiers of the Institution 1991–1992 440

6 Of Deconstruction in America 451

7 Specters of Marx 1993–1995 462

8 The Derrida International 1996–1999 478

9 The Time of Dialogue 2000–2002 495

10 In Life and in Death 2003–2004 518

Notes 543

Sources 593

Bibliography 596

Index 605

About the Author

Benoît Peeters was born in Paris in 1956. Following a degree in Philosophy at the Sorbonne (Paris I), he went on to study for his Masters at the École Pratique des Hautes Études under the direction of Roland Barthes. He has since published over forty works on a wide variety of subjects and has written essays and biographies on Hergé, Alfred Hitchcock, and Paul Valéry.

Reviews

"Peeters has ransacked the voluminous Derrida archives andinterviewed scores of his friends and colleagues. The result is amarvellously compelling account, lucidly translated by AndrewBrown. The man who emerges from this portrait is an agonised soulwith sudden outbreaks of gaiety, an astonishingly original thinkerwith more than a dash of vanity who nevertheless made himself fullyavailable to the humblest student." Terry Eagleton, The Guardian 'Exhaustive and exhilarating.' The Scotsman "A real tour de force. Assimilating a vast amount of materialDerrida s own voluminous publications, unpublished documentsand correspondence, and conversations with a host of acquaintancesD Benoit Peeters has produced a compelling narrative thatsheds light on all aspects of Derrida s remarkablecareer." Jonathan Culler, Cornell University 'If you've ever given up on Derrida, this portrait of himas a lovable, thin-skinned and narcissistic outsider in France whoshot to fame in the United States should make youreconsider.' New Statesman 'In his impressive, massive biography... Benoit Peeters,a former student of Derrida s, tells a captivating tale ofthe enfant terrible outsider.' Wichita Eagle