Kirjahaku

"The day will come when not only my writings, but precisely my life--the intriguing secret of all the machinery--will be studied and studied." Soren Kierkegaard's remarkable combination of genius and peculiarity made this a fair if arrogant prediction. But Kierkegaard's life has been notoriously hard to study, so complex was the web of fact and fiction in his work. Joakim Garff's biography of Kierkegaard is thus a landmark achievement. A seamless blend of history, philosophy, and psychological insight, all conveyed with novelistic verve, this is the most comprehensive and penetrating account yet written of the life and works of the enigmatic Dane who changed the course of intellectual history. Garff portrays Kierkegaard not as the all-controlling impresario behind some of the most important works of modern philosophy and religious thought--books credited with founding existentialism and prefiguring postmodernism--but rather as a man whose writings came to control him. Kierkegaard saw himself as a vessel for his writings, a tool in the hand of God, and eventually as a martyr singled out to call for the end of "Christendom." Garff explores the events and relationships that formed Kierkegaard, including his guilt-ridden relationship with his father, his rivalry with his brother, and his famously tortured relationship with his fiancee Regine Olsen. He recreates the squalor and splendor of Golden Age Copenhagen and the intellectual milieu in which Kierkegaard found himself increasingly embattled and mercilessly caricatured. Acclaimed as a major cultural event on its publication in Denmark in 2000, this book, here presented in an exceptionally crisp and elegant translation, will be the definitive account of Kierkegaard's life for years to come.

The first biography of Kierkegaard's literary muse and one-time fiancee, from the author of the definitive biography of the philosopher Kierkegaard's Muse, the first biography of Regine Olsen (1822-1904), the literary inspiration and one-time fiancee of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, is a moving portrait of a long romantic fever that had momentous literary consequences. Drawing on more than one hundred previously unknown letters by Regine that acclaimed Kierkegaard biographer Joakim Garff discovered by chance, the book tells the story of Kierkegaard and Regine's mysterious relationship more fully and vividly than ever before, shedding new light on her influence on his life and writings. Like Dante's Beatrice, Regine is one of the great muses of literary history. Kierkegaard proposed to her in 1840, but broke off the engagement a year later. After their break, they saw each other strikingly often, inside dimly lit churches, on the streets of Copenhagen, and on the paths along the old city ramparts, passing by without uttering a word. Despite or because of their separation in life, Kierkegaard made Regine his literary life companion, "that single individual" to whom he dedicated all his works. Garff shows how Regine became a poetic presence in the frequent erotic conflicts found throughout Kierkegaard's writings, from the famous "Seducer's Diary" account of their relationship to diary entries made shortly before his death in 1855. In turn, Regine remained preoccupied with Kierkegaard until her own death almost fifty years later, and her newly discovered letters, written to her sister Cornelia, reveal for the first time a woman of flesh and blood. A psychologically acute narrative that is as gripping as a novel, Kierkegaard's Muse is an unforgettable account of a wild, strange, and poignant romance that made an indelible mark on literary history.

The first biography of Kierkegaard’s literary muse, from the author of the definitive life of the philosopherKierkegaard’s Muse—the first biography of Regine Olsen (1822–1904), the inspiration and one-time fiancée of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard—is a moving portrait of a long romantic fever that had momentous literary consequences. Drawing on Regine’s newly discovered letters, acclaimed Kierkegaard biographer Joakim Garff tells the story of her mysterious relationship with Kierkegaard more fully and vividly than ever before, shedding new light on her influence on his life and writings. Like Dante’s Beatrice, Regine is one of the great muses of literary history. Kierkegaard proposed to her in 1840, but broke off the engagement a year later. After their break, they saw each other strikingly often, inside dimly lit Copenhagen churches, on the streets, and on the paths along the old city ramparts, passing by without uttering a word. Psychologically acute and as gripping as a novel, Kierkegaard's Muse is an unforgettable account of a wild, strange, and poignant romance that made an indelible mark on literary history.

H.C. Andersen og Søren Kierke­gaard rejser sammen ned gennem Europa sidst i 1849 med Rom som endemål. Undervejs udveksler det umage par tanker om kærligheden, angsten, glæden, selvet, døden og livet derefter, men berører også deres kunstneriske virksomhed og den udeblevne anerkendelse, pressens tilta­gen­de dominans og den vildtvoksende natur­videnskab, folkestyrets frem­march og kristen­dommens krise. I dag­bogs­optegnelser fastholdes indtryk fra rejsen, den indre såvel som den ydre, mens en serie selvbiografiske tilbageblik gengiver nogle af de episoder i solisternes livshistorier, der bidrog til deres globale efter­mæle. Bogen er et livfuldt og sansemættet rejseeventyr, som bringer læseren vidt omkring i soli­sternes livsan­skuelser og værker, men også dybere ind i sig selv. Trods indbyrdes forskelle viser der sig mellem solisterne at være adskillige lig­he­der og derved ansatser til en gensidig sympati, som til forveks­ling ligner ven­skabet. Mod rejsens slutning modnes i den ene af solisterne en beslutning, der får livsomvæltende betydning.

Joakim Garffs prisbelønnede biografi om Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) SAK skildrer manden bag et af verdenshistoriens mest fascinerende forfatterskaber og kan læses som en biografisk introduktion til Kierkegaards tid og tankeverden.SAK udfolder de store fortællinger i Kierkegaards liv, men holder også et vågent øje med smådele og biomstændigheder, sprækkerne i den geniale granit, galskaben lige underneden, skriveorgiets omkostninger, økonomisk og psykologisk. Uden at digte hen over kendsgerningerne har SAK sat sig for at gøre afstanden mellem den sande historie og den gode fortælling så kort som mulig.“Et mesterværk i den biografiske genre”– Johannes Møllehave i Jyllands-Posten“Den bedste Kierkegaardbiografi nogensinde.”– Weekendavisens kritikerliste“Joakim Garffs bog om Søren Kierkegaard er ikke bare en biografi. Den er en sammensætning af Kierkegaards liv og skrift så suveræn, så udfordrende, så problematisk, konkret og perspektivrig, at det savner sidestykke i litteraturen. Læs, læs,læs.”– Poul Behrendt i Weekendavisen“SAK er ekstraordinært vellykket. (...) Historien om Kierkegaards liv bliver fortalt med en fylde og detaljerigdom, der gør SAK til en ren læsefryd. Billedlig talt er det som pludselig at opleve et liv, man kun har kendt i få sort/hvide stregtegninger, udfoldet til en helaftensfilm i farver, på det helt store lærred og med surround sound.”– Nils Gunder Hansen i Berlingske Tidende