Product Description

In Either/Or, using the voices of two characters - the aesthetic young man of part one, called simply ‘A’, and the ethical Judge Vilhelm of the second section - Kierkegaard reflects upon the search for a meaningful existence, contemplating subjects as diverse as Mozart, drama, boredom, and, in the famous Seducer’s Diary, the cynical seduction and ultimate rejection of a young, beautiful woman. A masterpiece of duality, Either/Or is a brilliant exploration of the conflict between the aesthetic and the ethical - both meditating ironically and seductively upon Epicurean pleasures, and eloquently expounding the noble virtues of a morally upstanding life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145845 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-01
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: Danish
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

About the Author
Kierkegaard (1813-55) was born in Copenhagen, the youngest of seven children. His childhood was unhappy, clouded by the religious fervour of his father, and the death of his mother, his sisters and two brothers. Educated at the School of Civic Virtue, he went on study theology, liberal arts and science at university, gaining a reputation for his academic brilliance and extravagant social life. He began to criticize Christianity, and in 1841 broke off his engagement to concentrate on his writing. Over the next ten years he produced a flood of works, in particular twelve major philosophical essays, many written under noms de plume. By the end of his life he had become an object of public ridicule, but he is now enjoying increasing acclaim. Alastair Hannay was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, the University of Edinburgh and University College London. In 1961 he became a resident of Norway and is now Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo.

Customer Reviews

Warning: abridged edition!
This is an abridged edition which features frequent cuts from both Part I and Part II, and omits "The First Love" (Part One) entirely.

The omissions are incomprehensible
Why on earth Penguin published a translation that omits the essay "First Love" is beyond my comprehension. Large parts of the first essay of Part 2 ("The Aesthetic Validity of Marriage") make no sense without it.

Kierkegaard is notoriously difficult to read and even more difficult to translate. Accomplishing any translation is an heroic job and I take my hat off to Alastair Hannay's achievement. That said, I am utterly baffled by the brevity of his translator's note (about half a page at the very beginning). In it he explains what has been omitted but says nothing about his approach to the translation. Presumably it is a deliberate choice to reflect Kierkegaard's complicated sentence structures, but he ought at least to point out to the reader that his is a close translation rather than a rendition in modern idiom. In philosophy knowing what kind of translation has been attempted is as important to the reader as what the text actually says.

IMO the only thing going for this edition is that it is cheaper than others.