Book Description

This is the most comprehensive anthology of Søren Kierkegaard's works ever assembled in English. Drawn from the volumes of Princeton's authoritative Kierkegaard's Writings series by editors Howard and Edna Hong, the selections represent every major aspect of Kierkegaard's extraordinary career. They reveal the powerful mix of philosophy, psychology, theology, and literary criticism that made Kierkegaard one of the most compelling writers of the nineteenth century and a shaping force in the twentieth. With an introduction to Kierkegaard's writings as a whole and explanatory notes for each selection, this is the essential one-volume guide to a thinker who changed the course of modern intellectual history.

The anthology begins with Kierkegaard's early journal entries and traces the development of his work chronologically to the final The Changelessness of God. The book presents generous selections from all of Kierkegaard's landmark works, including Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, Works of Love, and The Sickness unto Death, and draws new attention to a host of such lesser-known writings as Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions and The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air. The selections are carefully chosen to reflect the unique character of Kierkegaard's work, with its shifting pseudonyms, its complex dialogues, and its potent combination of irony, satire, sermon, polemic, humor, and fiction. We see the esthetic, ethical, and ethical-religious ways of life initially presented as dialogue in two parallel series of pseudonymous and signed works and later in the "second authorship" as direct address. And we see the themes that bind the whole together, in particular Kierkegaard's overarching concern with, in his own words, "What it means to exist; . . . what it means to be a human being."

Together, the selections provide the best available introduction to Kierkegaard's writings and show more completely than any other book why his work, in all its creativity, variety, and power, continues to speak so directly today to so many readers around the world.

Customer Reviews (5)

May the laughter by on your side
With a dizzying series of pseudonyms, from Climaticus to Anticlimaticus, this book selects from the Hong's expansive translation of all of Kierkegaard's writings.The introductions place each piece in context, but don't over interpret as some other books. Reading from the complete work presents a view of Kierkegaard's total plan ("The Authorship") and his voices of the religious, esthetic, and ethical. In light of the whole body, "Concluding Unscientific postscript" seems to have a pivotal role. Existentialists may like to claim him as he speaks of the individual about despair, fear and trembling, and anxiety, but make no mistake his work is to be a Christian (" Once and for all I must urgently request the kindly disposed reader continually to bear in mente [in mind] that the total thought in the entire work as an author is this" becoming a Christian").He is a self appointed critic of the established church and the inclusion of the lesser known "The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air' shows the religious side.Present are all of Kierkegaard's "Knights": the Knight of Faith, the Knight of Infinite Resignation, and the Knight of Hidden Awareness. Humor and irony abound. Come leap in, and have a good read!

haven't read this particular edition of Kierkegard
nevertheleee... introduced to man as on of
the four main existentialist.., nietsche,
camus sartre... maybe fifth antoine de
st. exupery's flight to arras

however.. suffice to comment..kierkegard
is mellow man

the triumvirate brace of christianic
philosophy is soren kierkegard, and
the psychologists, bruto bettleheim,
harry stack sullivan, and karen horney

best wishes,
enjoy one's own bibliophilic bent

spotter3
coastwatch quadrant 8,
truk atoll, caroline islands,south pacific

"Best of Soren Kierkegaard"
I am of Danish descent, so I is nice to hear from the motherland.However, I am not of K's tradition, so this is an outsider's look at Mr. K's philosophy.

I am quite impressed with what Mr. K has to say.It took me a while to get into his style of speaking and writing, but one I picked up his dialect, I was awestruck!Sometimes titles not only grab you, but mesmerize you. His essay "Sickness unto Death," which I had heard of in passing, was one of these titles that I just could not get out of my head.

The advantage of this compilation is that it is done by the General Editors of the "Collected Works of S. K.," so the translation, pagination and diction are all the same in the individual books and this small hors d'oeuvre plate.Having used various translations of Machiaveli, or different editions of Plato, it is nice to have one standard translation.

I recommend book as a being like a "Best of Kierkegaard," much like a "Best of" CD from an unknown band.You get the good stuff, eliminate all the filler material, and can buy the individual books if you so choose.

As I said, I am not of K's faith, but I appreciate his faithfulness in search for truth!

Excellent Anthology
A wonderful, chronologically arranged anthology from the immensely prodigious output of Soren Kierkegaard, complete with excellent introductory notes.

My only criticism?The typography is a bit dense, and in particular the font size for the running text is small.I would appeal to the publisher to reformat this book using a larger text size (e.g., 10 point) -- even at the expense of adding additional pages to the overall book size.

The Master of Irony
Søren Kierkegaard is undoubtedly the comedian's philosopher.And his humor is fundamentally reassuring - hilarious, even biting, but never bitter or nihilistic.He is one of the major influences on the films and writings of Woody Allen.Often Kierkegaard is rumored to be bleak, hopeless and terrifying.There are elements of despair, yes, but I've always found him good for a laugh even at his darkest.His humor is similar to Woody Allen's in that it is simultaneously cathartic, sobering and very funny.I flip around this excellent anthology and re-read passages in my spare time for encouragement. ... Read more

Book Description
The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin’s Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history’s most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker’s art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Fear and Trembling
Faith, it goes without saying, is a personal thing.It is a private aspect of a person's life that may, if they wish, become public, though there is no real need for this to occur.Faith is something that cannot be explained - certainly not to the satisfaction of an atheist - rather, it is something that is believed.Faith, in short, is faith.The particularities of faith are among the causes of many great schisms of the last thousand or so years of European history.Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard's small, dense work on faith, tackles the problem of what is means to believe.

In the 19th century, secular philosophy believed that religion was explicable, whereas the difficulties of Hegel were exceedingly great.'I for my part have devoted a good deal of time to the understanding of the Hegelian philosophy, I believe also that I understand it tolerably well, but when in spite of the trouble I have taken there are certain passages I cannot understand, I am foolhardy enough to think that he himself has not been quite clear. All this I do easily and naturally, my head does not suffer from it. But on the other hand when I have to think of Abraham, I am as though annihilated.'

Annihilated.Kierkegaard explores the biblical story of Abraham, who was commanded by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.Abraham sets out with the full intention of doing so, but is prevented at the last moment.A ram is provided as a sacrifice instead.Kierkegaard saw this as the supreme example of what it means to have faith, and how faith could never be properly understood through the lens of faith.He puts forth, at the start, alternate versions of internal thoughts for Sarah (Abraham's wife), Abraham and Isaac, and then explores what it means that Abraham was willing to go to such lengths for God.

The concepts Kierkegaard is dealing with are obviously very heavy, but there is a lightness of touch to his philosophy that makes reading Fear and Trembling a pleasure rather than a chore.Kierkegaard's language is conversational, almost casual, but it is also elegant and quite powerful.He wrote the novella through the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, the text is heavily personalised throughout, with much of the opinion coming directly from the author.Kierkegaard suggests that 'the ethical expression for what Abraham did is that he was willing to murder Isaac; the religious expression is that he was willing to sacrifice Isaac', he goes on to say that it is this very contradiction that shows the chasm between reason and faith.For any reason, and in almost any context, the story of Abraham is the story of a man willing to murder his own son.But only when the story is read from the viewpoint of faith does it become something more, indeed it becomes something so far above our experience that Abraham will forever remain impossible to understand.He asks whether the duty to obey God supersedes the ethically negative choice to murder.To say that Abraham acted admirably or ethically is to miss the point, Kierkegaard answers.Abraham acted with faith.He was not, at any time, aware of the outcome of his actions, other than the outcome which had been directly demanded by God.He was going to sacrifice his son with the full understanding that what he was doing was committing murder in the name of God, that he was spared at the final instant reflects nothing on Abraham, because he passed every challenge perfectly.If Abraham had known Isaac would be spared, the whole story would remain at a level which we, as humans using our reason, could understand.But that he did not know, that he was willing to sacrifice his son, shows a level of faith that can only be understood by faith.

Kierkegaard asks difficult questions with Fear and Trembling.Faith, whether one possesses it or not, is a fascinating topic for discussion and contemplation.Kierkegaard was writing at a time when faith was on the wane - and this time has arguably continued until the present - indeed, when philosophical energy was devoted to purely secular problems.He argues, emphatically and convincingly, that a true understanding of God can only come about after a supreme test of faith akin to that of Abraham's.Abraham proved that he had faith by being faithful in the absolute sense of the word - Kierkegaard dubs him a Knight of Faith.He also introduces the concept of a Knight of infinite resignation who, though they may live a similarly heroic, majestic, important, influential life, know that at some stage they will get it all back - be it historical justification, or wealth and power while they are alive.Abraham only knew that he would end his day having killed his only son, and yet he still climbed the mountain and raised his knife high.That is faith.

Provocative but flawed
Essential reading for anyone with the slightest interest in religion or philosophy. He makes an important point: faith cannot be collapsed into the ethical, taking the Old Testament story of Abraham's aborted sacrifice of Isaac as his proof text. If faith was simply a matter of acting ethically, then we wouldn't need religion, only ethics. That said, I don't like how he makes faith into something so superhuman and difficult that only a few spiritual athletes are capable of it. Which is wrong. Christian faith is available to anyone. Christ said, "come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." And I don't believe that faith contradicts ethics either, as Kierkegaard suggests. Kierkegaard's message was to a largely Christian society that took faith for granted. He wanted to bring out the radicality of faith, which is a valuable message. But today, when Christian Churches are losing members, we need the evangelical message, to bring people in. Faith is first of all an expression of love for God and our fellow humans, not a leap into the absurd. Kierkegaard used to appeal to me more when I was younger, and I liked the idea of viewing my faith as something radical and even scandalous. Now that I'm more mature, I realize that faith is really about loving and trusting God and loving my neighbor as myself. Yes, there's a sacrifice involved; Kierkegaard is right about that, but trusting God means trusting his goodness and love.

Goes Good With Free On-line Course
Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard originally published in the mid-1800s is widely considered a classic of existentialist literature. These comments pertain to the Penguin version of Fear and Trembling translated by Hannay.

Though Kierkegaard talent is readily apparent, his work can be a difficult slog without the appropriate context or guidance.Personally, I have always found Kierkegaard difficult and as a result have tended to refer to secondary rather than primary sources in dealing with him.My experience with Fear and Trembling was different and markedly more fulfilling.I stumbled across a wonderful free, on-line University of California Berkley existentialist literature course available at [...]The first half dozen or so lectures of this course deal with Fear and Trembling - I highly recommend it.

Overall, it is an excellent version of an important work.I recommend the text as well as a look at the Berkley site.

true faith is not completely reliant on logic
The value of this work is that it correctly argues that faith is ultimately a choice that cannot be completely supported by logic or rational proof.It was Kierkegaard's experience of losing the chance to be with the person he loved that forced him to confront the absurd nature of faith.Although believers in many religions will argue that their faith is logical and rational, Kierkegaard fully grasped that if conviction is based fully on logic, it does not need faith to support it.

Perhaps the best metaphor can be found in the New Testament passage where Christ invites Peter to walk on water -- Peter takes a step with faith and does not sink, but then looks down, and begins to evaluate the situation using his rational mind, and begins to sink.True faith walks on water.Only true faith could be sufficient to base a life on the conviction that a dead guy in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago came back from the dead and has his own kingdom where his followers will live forever in eternal bliss.On the other hand, this conviction has become so entrenched in the popular culture of the last 2,000 years that it has just become an unremarkable backdrop to the modern world and is considered a socially acceptable belief.

The challenge for a modern christian is to find true faith when they mistakenly believe that the story of Jesus Christ is completely supported by logic and rational thinking.The mere act of mentally assenting to what has been accepted in popular culture, a broad and shallow idea that God and Jesus exist, is not faith at all; just an unexamined conclusion of a lazy mind that has not yet questioned its own surroundings.True faith is a radical departure from the status quo, a renewal of personal conviction despite all contradictions and a recognition of UNCERTAINTY.Without a recognition of uncertainty, faith has no meaning.The strength of true faith is that it acknowledges that uncertainty exists, and yet still forges on in spite of the uncertainty, willingly accepting and embracing the consequences of conviction in the face of uncertainty.There is not fear that the conviction may be misled and flinching because of the uncertainty, there is a recognition that this lack of absolute rational proof and certainty is what gives faith its supreme virtue.This is what makes faith courageous and is something that only mortal humans can do, since angels are blessed with absolute knowledge whereas humans are blessed with uncertainty, which is the only way that true freedom can exist.Without this freedom, the choice of "faith" would not be possible, would not be courageous, and would not make mortals eligible for the reward of heaven.

The believer who claims that all faith is logical has not yet come to the moment of testing, like Abraham, like Kierkegaard, where the object of the soul's deepest longing and only happiness is seen, but yet out of reach.For Kierkegaard it was the girl he loved, that he could never be with, but yet he retained hope and transformed that hope into a lifetime of faith.The personal pain of such an experience leads a person to exclaim "it doesn't make sense!"Only when one reaches the point where it just doesn't make sense can the ultimate nature of real and profound faith be experienced and put into action.Anything else is a shallow beginning, and not yet a sufficient faith to walk on water, just as Peter found when he was invited to take that step...

This book is full of such profound insight because Kierkegaard understood this and knew that faith was not a shallow, cheap or easy achievement:

"In those old days it was different. For then faith was a task for a whole lifetime, not a skill thought to be acquired in either days or weeks. When the old campaigner approached the end, had fought the good fight, and kept his faith, his heart was still young enough not to have forgotten the fear and trembling that disciplined his youth...." (p.42)

Kierkegaard Missed It
God had revealed Himself to Abraham on numerous occasions.Abraham saw God, talked with God, had promises fulfilled by God.One cannot isolate Abraham's faith in the 'sacrifice' of Isaac from what Abraham had already experienced God to be.At this point Abraham knows there is one God and that He can be trusted.From this LOGICAL line of thought, Abraham can conclude that no matter what happens God will be true to Himself. There is no need for a suspension of ethics, based upon who God already revealed himself to be. From this standpoint there is faith, but notice there is no 'leap of faith' totally devoid of reason.This is what Kierkegaard missed.It is unfortunate that this existentialist thought has so permeated the secular and theological world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Priceless
This was my first Kierkegaard book, and I can't imagine it'll ever not be my favorite. This should be everyone's introduction to him. It's short, sweet, beautiful, encouraging, exotic, convicting, brutal, and funny.

Written by Anti-Climacus, K's very idealized Christian author who always does his best to expose externalisms in the lives of human beings--both Christians and pagans.

I'm not going to get into a major discussion of this book here; you can do that on your own or peruse some of the other reviews on this page. I will, however, give a very cursory sketch of _some_ of his great ideas.

1. It is written from an unabashedly orthodox Christian standpoint (orthodox meaning Apostles Creed). While there are a few passages contained therein that can be read like Arminian creeds, overall this book presupposes God's Word as Truth itself and thus is congruent mostly with what is later called Van Tillian apologetics (of course one could then say that Van Til had some Kierkegaard in him!).

2. It is written to examine what faith, in its nature as an exclusively Christian concept, is. But ever heard that Kierkegaard hated doctrine, that he loved the irrational leap into blind faith? Forget it. That's Johannes de Silentio. The passion and power of his prose here, along with his journal notes as provided by the Hongs' priceless scholarship, show that when he lists "dogma" with the three essentials of Christianity (the other two are faith and paradox), he meant it! (It wasn't just Anti-Climacus's idea.) He even says that once people throw out the "thou shalts" and God's special revelation as what it is--that Christianity is dead. Once we make Christ into an event, once philosophers merge God and man together--that Christianity is dead. Very powerful stuff. Now what does this have to do with faith? Kierkegaard shows that all natural men put their faith in themselves--and they will despair forever as they autonomously insist that they are the source of themselves. What Christianity insists on in men's putting their faith in the Creator as the Bible commands. Faith in God is not irrational, Kierkegaard says; but it is the gospel, as so wonderful, so inexpressibly amazing, that cannot fit into the minds of rationalistic men. This is a huge distinction. And a wonderful one!

3. It is written to examine thanklessness in those who don't look like they're despairing. This is where he attacks the Danish State Church. It's brutal and very convicting. I won't spoil it for you.

Despair is the refusal of man to admit who he is--a creature of his Creator. It's hubris, it's solipsism, it's pride, it's fear of humiliation. But Kierkegaard doesn't stop there. He shows the solution; he shows Christ as the only answer, using Christ's character as manifested in the gospels to show that it is our rebellion that He saves all men from. In this way, Anti-Climacus is in no way judgmental or self-righteous.

Another note: the Hongs are amazing. Write them a letter and tell them how amazing their work is. Each Princeton Kierkegaard book contains journal entries, an historical introduction, earlier draft changes, indices, &c.

And one more: another reviewer was totally right when he said that some of this is so powerful and--yea-- beautiful that you won't know you're reading Theology. The passage starting with the hourglass on pages 27-8 comes to mind immediately.

I only detract a star because of the ambiguity in certain places that has deceived many non-Christians into thinking that they're a-okay. And I've met a few of them, working at a bookstore as I did. It's written for Christians, so use your Biblical framework while reading it.

Hong translation excels
As a student at St. Olaf College, I got Kierkegaard pretty much thrown at me. The professors Hong translations of Kierkegaard are the most erudite I've seen. They own the largest Kierkegaard library in the world... They know their stuff. It's definitely worth the extra money over and against the penguin translation.

"The self is a self which relates itself to itself or is a relation relating itself to itself in the relation."
Don't get too flummoxed by the first page, it gets better.

One thing I like about Kierkegaard is that he knows how to WRITE. Other philosophers lose common literary skills that make writing enjoyable, for example, Kant. You cannot sit down and read 200 pages of a Critique of Pure reason straight, your head will explode. With Kierkegaard however, he is so enjoyable and fun to read, you hardly notice your're reading philosophy.

This book however, I wouldn't recommend to beginners, I'd choose either "Either/Or" or "The two ages"

The Best
This is hands down the greatest book I have ever read, not including the Bible. I say that as a Christian and as an individual. I can understand how some choose to apply the concepts without the religion, but I personally think this would have infuriated SK.
Again, not including the Bible, "The Sickness Unto Death" is perhaps the only literary work I have ever read that altered my life, either by perception or action.
His elaborations on the various forms of despair should hit everyone, as there are several, each applicable to each personality.
If anyone were to ask me to recommend a single work, this would be it.
I must add, that I have not read scores of philosophy, only a handful. I say that to say this. This book may seem somewhat difficult to understand at first, but it gets easier the more you read and the more accustomed you get to SK's style. Once the first few pages regarding the definition of self have been comprehended, the rest falls beautifully into place.

life saver
where is God?this is the question i asked my self in my own suffering.kierkegaard's sickness unto death helped me understand where God is/was in my own despair.when i read kierkegaard i know i am reading something that was told from one's heart.kierkegaard really understands despair and he understands the struggle one goes through in despair.despair doesn't just happen to a select few.it touches us all.this book really saved me from sinking deep into my own despair.if kierkegaard were alive today i would send him a thank you note!

Great insights for Christian counseling
Based on Kierkegaard's book, it is clear that despair is essential for a person to realize he is not a "self," and thereby turn to God; but many people choose to create a self on their own-they become a carbon copy of everyone else in the world.I was intrigued by Kierkegaard's insights.From what I understood, there are two possibilities a person can have:(1) There is the possibility of becoming the self that God intended for the person, or (2) The alternate possibility when one manufactures a "self" then for the rest of his or her life, strives to attain it.The "fantastic" is the result of one's idea of self that is always being improved and refined from the previous "self." However, a person can only have a self if God gives it to him or her.The "sickness unto death" is when the person does not realize this until he or she faces death and had lived a life in sin (sin was explained as the spiritual and actual position of a person in comparison to God).

The person had a chance to live in "actuality," but instead was in despair and now is left with the "sickness unto death."Kierkegaard offered an insight to the human soul that ought to be the foundation to understanding the psyche of the Christian.His work is still relevant, and had probably ushered the Christian psychology movement into existence.It would be safe to say that he is a "founding father" of Christian psychology and was a very observant man.This book is not easy to read, but it is worth the effort.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

An anthology of extraordinary passages
Kierkegaard's thought was a thought of paradox and complication, irony , insight and humor. Like Kafka he could take a well- known myth and remake it as his own .And always he will do this in such a way as to move the reader into a new level of question and involvement in his thought.
Kierkegaard challenges questions and delights us. He too may contradict us and our sense of things but most often in such a way as to lead us to rethink our own assumptions and ideas.
He is a thinker who helps make us think.
And this anthology of extraordinary passages from his work does just that.

McKierkegaard, Fast & Easy, a good & enjoyable glimpse of SK
"A Possibility" (from Stage's on Lifes Way)
starting on Page 104, I found to be particularly
poignant and impressive among the parables presented.

I liked this book and still do.:)

Very accessible, and interesting even
apart from the whole of his writing,
therefore more digestable to the average person.

The other parable mentioned in another review
as most notable is unseemly to note without
mentioning any other, but that is opinion.

"A Possibility" is widely regarded
as profound and noteworthy.:)

The introduction well describes the purpose and intent
of this book, and of SK's parables, to the readers.

Many short parable presented that are witty or amusing.

A few longer ones such as "A Possibility."

Not definitive as a representative of his thought or writing
if you are looking for anything like a synopsis or condensed
representation of his authorship/ideas/"philosophy"/thought.

Enjoyable light(er) reading than trying to delve
into his actual titles, per se, however.:)

Soren Kierkegaard's authorship has always
been not commonly well understood, in part
due to his "unique 'method/mode of authorship'",
but more than that, and is somewhat out of
the range of most readers, unfortunately,
however highly regarded by some of intellect
to comprehend his work properly, he has
been represented foolishly at times,
by those who quote him, as in the old
playboy interview style of photo's
and obscure references to SK, taken by many
in the intelligentsia in the 20th cent.
as the "father" of existentialism,
and fashionable to be seen as one familiar
with im and his work, but also rightly viewed
as being influential upon modern ideas,
his take on things however to those who don't
even know his name would find very similar
to their own, and not just some silly obscure
neurotic rambling as obscure dense complex
literature is usually perceived and represented as.

In some ways his authorship could be summed up
in an extremely oversimplified way as an
exhaustive exposition of the term "subjectivity",
which is the term as buzzword often employed
in attempts at explaining or representing his
thought and ideas/"philosophy", which he was not
regarded as contemporaneously as a "philosopher",
but as a writer, actually quite ridiculed in his lifetime,
after his upbringing and training in seminary (churchdom),
to be a pastor himself, and wrote along multi-level
world views at differing times.
His life is almost always presented when discussing him
or his writings.His father Michael Pederson (melancholy),
and the impact upon his life from childhood and family life,
his dissapointed relationship with Regine his onetime
fiance whom he broke relations deliberately in a caddish way,
becasue he felt it incongruent with his chosen path in life,
and that he was unworthy of her, insultingly, so as to hope he would not break her heart, with before marrying,
in a decision to do so which would haunt his entire life,
and probaly regretted later on, as well.
The affair with "The Corsair" a popular publication
there in Copenhagen which was basically a tabliod,
and that publishers smear campaign maligning
SK over an extended period of time, mocking and ridiculing
him, putting him up for scorn shallowly because the public
this, like a dog barking at someone, mailman, beggar, or king.

His sharp and keenly critising mind was often
and substantially and notably directed toward
the church & "christendom" itself, and here
is "your sign" why he was not well
taken then, or ever will be, and why he is
misperceived, misunderstood, misrepresented, or ignored.

His ideas are anathema, heretical, undermining
or subversive to christianity to the average christian
who tries to be as such and wants to beieve all, etc.

He (Kierkegaard) basically tells us that
Christians aren't real christains, at least most.

That most want to be in that category and be taken
and included as such for societal reasons i.e "pretend".

Christianity is demanding and harsh, people go to
church sing, pray, etc. but still live as normal people, with all the associated faults and foibles and are not "better."

It was more important to put on that face then.

He was saying there are very few real and true Christains.

Something people do not want to hear.

Kierkegaard by and large is not for everyone,
(literacy level, etc.) in this world of declining
lterary standards, but this book is.

Lawrence Connor

EVEN OUT OF CONTEXT, IT'S A GREAT READ
Soren was a brilliant surveyor of the human soul. Collected in this volume are what amounts to a greatest hits of parables highlighting the discoveries he made along the way that compel the reader to get off the philosophical phence when it comes to life's decisions. Don't sweat the small stuff? More like, Think, Choose, and the small stuff never surfaces. Perhaps the greatest of all his parables is "The Jewel on Thin Ice", and its inclusion here is worth the purcahse price all by itself.

If you are familiar with Kierkegaard, you know what a brilliant reference tome this will be. If you are not, this is a great way to begin your examination of a man who was justifiably the Danish Dalai Lhama. His spirituality is immersed in being present in the moment, and would lay the foundation for all existentialist (i.e., Buddhist thinkers in Western trappings) thought in the 20th Century from Husserl and Sartre to Heidegger and Neil Young.
Well done, well worth keeping by your reading lamp. It is a jewel on thin ice well worth risking one's immersion.

The Master of Existentialism in a pocket guide
I initially purchased this book to try and explain to my then girlfriend my reasoning for certain things in life.The parables that Kierkegaard exemplifies here are easy for others to understand.I think this is a good point to start if you are interestesed in existentialism as he is more than likely one of the first.If you break the confines of the religious zealousy that crush all of us then this is the first chain for your new armor.

The Snickering and Scheming Soren
Ah, Parables.There are few other ways to set the mind spinning than a good parable.It's similar to a great mystery case, and the satisfaction derived from figuring out what it means more than makes up for the mentaleffort.

That was Johannes Climacus speaking.Some people will find thebook enjoyable purely on that level.

I like the book because it has thepotential to change the way I live.Don't be decieved by the slimness ofthe volume and the short sections.A sensetive reader could take a yearreading this book.Because of the need to enjoy, understand, evaluate, andapply each parable, I can only read a few each night before sleeping.

However, don't let that seriousness delay you: Oden has collected someof the pieces that best bring out Soren and his authors' wit and humor. Truly, an indispensable book whether you are just discovering Kierkegaardor are an old friend of his.

For those new to SK, I reccomend readingthis with "Kierkegaard for Beginners."Some high-minded peoplemight be shocked that I say that, but I'm not too proud to admit that Ifind that to be the most compelling introduction to Kierkegaard that I haveread.The illustrations are appropriate and also outrageous.This book issimilar, but more mystifying, which is why I reccommend the "forbeginners" book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

sacrifice and loss
I am not able to comment on the accuracy or flow of the translation--the only Danish I know is the one that the kid from the mailroom used to bring by every morning--and so I am only able to engage the main ideas:faith.sacrifice.ethics. Each one negating the other, or at least any pair negating the third.Kierkegaard emphasizes that for faith we must sacrifice ethics because--as Job learned the hard way--God transcends morals.But it is also true that faith in ethics leads us to abandon sacrifice, as does an ethical interpretation of faith, and--perhaps most importantly--ethics can require that we sacrifice our faith.

I interpret this as meaning that on the one hand, we may find ourselves breaking our own laws to follow what we believe.For if you are pursuing something worth pursuing, and it happens to run beyond the law, are you going to abandon the chase?

But it is easy to break laws, and hard to break hearts (at least, that is, you must be hard to do so).And so doing the right thing in regards to your ethical understanding of action can lead you to sacrifice the mutual faith that you have with other people.In some ways, this is what Isaac confronts.The man on the way home sure of a steak dinner isn't a knight of faith--he is at best a pawn.Abraham too is not impressive here.What Isaac gave up was, so I have come to think after years of thought on the matter, much more weighty.He went up the mountain with faith in his father and in God; he was forced to sacrifice one to maintain the other.We will never know which.And that is the nature of love in a world in which doing the right thing is sure to involve breaking SOMEONE's law. [17]

Theological Tour de Force
This edition of 'Fear and Trembling' is an excellently produced and translated edition, with the interesting and helpful prefaces and selections of journal quotes typical of the Writings series.

'Fear and Trembling' presents a very penetrating, and ultimately disturbing, investigation into the personal and 'existential' implications of the religious concept of faith, as illustrated by the story of Isaac's sacrifice in Genesis 22.

Reviewers like to analyse the text either in respect to the biography of Kierkegaard, or of his literary output (or in relation to the other book in this collect, 'Repetition'), which are fair enough, but nevertheless, this book stands on its own with the question of whether religious faith can be a 'teleological suspension of the ethical.'This sounds like it could be a tendious philosophical excercise, but his erudition and literary skill constantly defies ones attempt to reduce or domesticate the paradoxes which he throws forward to his reader.The text still today offers each reader a choice of his own.

and isaac cried out, "if i have no father on earth, then you
be my father!"those hongs really know how to edit a book, wow.still i think most of the credit has to be given to johannes de silentio for writing it.i haven't read repetition yet.it'll probably a really brain teaser.

Was Kierkegaard a "Knight of faith"?
In addition to the parallels between this story and SK's relation with his father mentioned by previous reviewers, another important parallel is his failed engagement with Regine Olsen. She is his Isaac, who he must sacrifice.Perhaps he thinks his own calling,means that he too can "teleologically suspend" the ethical (duties to Regine). Its remarkable, that we now should be so concerned about the private live of a pseudonymous author.Is Johannes de Silentio a poetic side of Kierkegaard? Poetic yes, but paradoxically he also says he is purely dialectic.

The different takes of the Abraham story, remind me of Rabbinical midrash.The four different accounts did not happen, but they might have. It is a way of stretching the story, and a way to introduce his "faith by virtue of the absurd".The tragic hero remains in the ethical, but Abraham is different that this, and is related to the Absolute.Very thought provoking!

The meaning of Repetition
These two books are twins: published on the same day, with the same purpose: the failed explications of an essential Kierkegaardian concept: Repetiton. Why, when an author clearly knows the meaning of a concept inhis own terminology, would he fail to be able to explain it? Why would anauthor make failure part of the purpose of a book? There is a reasons. Theauthors of both books are pseudonyms. Kierkegaard does not use nom deplumes. He creates characters and then writes the book from thatperspective. Johannes de Silento (the author of "Fear andTrembling")is a poet. Constantine Constantinus (the author of"Repetition") is an experimental psychologist. These charactersattempt to define repetition, but their methods will not allow them.Repetition is not reducible to poetry (romanticism) or science (reason).Now why is that? It is necessary to Kierkegaard's project (the book"Repetition" shows that it is necessary) because his project isessentially Christian and Revelation cannot be derived philosophically(Hence Constantine Constantinus' failure). But how do you get to discussChristian ideas, then? By an elaborate method of importation andlaundering. For instance, Constantine Constantinus introduces Repetition bycomparing it to Platonic recollection. But the real source for importationis the Old Testament. Fear and Trembling is an elaborate interpretation ofAbraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Repetition ends with the Young Man (theguinea pig for Constantine Constantius' psychological experiments) writtingon the Book of Job. In each case, something is sacrificed and yet the onewho sacrifices finds the sacrifice restored to him. Much ink has been spilt showing how this copncept relates to Kierkegaard's abortiveengagement or his relations to his father (and I am sure SK appreciatesthis muddying of the waters; he never liked an audit trail), but theprimary image is that of God the Father sacrificing his Son, and, throughthe Ressurrection (as Johannes de Silento would say, by virtue of theabsurd) receiving him back again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Timeless & Challenging
In an age of popular books on self improvement that concentrate on listing habits and prescribing do's and dont's, here is a work that brings matters upstream into the inner landscape of human motivation and will. The existentialist Soren Kierkegaard has left us a challenging, provoking and truthful examination of the heart and mind, from which ensue all of the popular habits and prescriptions. What is double mindedness? How is it formed, and what does it look like? What is the ultimate goal and purpose of the countless habits and traits we read about? How are our deepest motivations and ambitions conflicted, and what duplicitous damage is caused by those inner conflicts? Thousands of books are transactional; this one is transformational. Though not an easy read, Purity of Heart draws the complexity of modern behavioral science into its single common denominator. This book can help to renew one's mind and change one's outlook on life.

If you can only read one, this is the one!
Kiekegaard offers the "one thing" (see City Slickers).

Relentless
Coming from a reformed Christian perspective with very little exposure to Kierkegaard, I was sometimes puzzled by this book but mostly challenged in my spiritual life, relentlessly so.This book made Puritan introspection seem comparatively shallow.If you are looking for extreme depth, you've got it here.He is exploring the idea of double-mindedness found in book of James to prepare the Christian for confession. This work asks questions you may have never thought to ask.Of course he is trying to get the individual to spiritually be laid bare before God in his double-mindedness.Is the work without hope since it should drive the honest person to despair in his own heart's purity?I don't believe the book is without hope. Christ is in there a few times in direct reference, but mostly assumed or implied..in the gaping hole created by our ties to the temporal and lack of eternal-mindedness and inability to truly will one thing.As spiritual shock-therapy, it works for me.It is my second read, the first being in college nearly 20 years ago.Had a similar effect then, but it is still the only Kierkegaard book I've ever read.

woody allen?
I'm dumbfounded that "rob" compared Kierkegaard with Woody Allen. Purity of Heart is all about the purpose and MEANING of existence. It's about reconciliation to the eternal. Woody Allen has no knowledge of the eternal. He's a silly little pundit using philosophy as a means to distract him from utter boredom and complacency. In his films he may drop references and allude to Sartre, Heidegger, Camu and the rest of the existentialists--but that's all he does. He's a geek for philosophy. He doesn't expound upon what they have said. He doesn't challenge them. He just collects their ideas and spreads them out on a table to gaze at. Kierkegaard is much different.

A Cut to the Heart
Kierkegaard's Purity of Heart is one of his most accessible works. Like in Sickness Unto Death, Purity of Heart cuts to the heart. Through irony, dialogue, and parable, Soren slices through the masks and fascades weconstruct that delude us into thinking that all is well with our soul. Withthe skill and precision of a surgeon's hand, Kierkegaard opens up the truecondition of our motivations in life and faith. Kierkegaard is not afraidto stare in the face the dark side of our humanity. In Purity of Heart wesee that only through this brutal honesty can we become our true selves andfind healing. Kierkegaard boldly asserts that only by joining withprovidence and the Great Physician's hand can we "will onething"--the good. The good is all that is true, eternal, andauthentic. The good is all that comes from God. Scant writers this day inage know the human condition more intimately than the great Danishtheologian/philosopher. Come and join Kierkegaard and take the leap offaith! ... Read more

Book Description

The various kinds and conditions of love are a common theme for Kierkegaard, beginning with his early Either/Or, through "The Diary of the Seducer" and Judge William's eulogy on married love, to his last work, on the changelessness of God's love. Works of Love, the midpoint in the series, is also the monumental high point, because of its penetrating, illuminating analysis of the forms and sources of love. Love as feeling and mood is distinguished from works of love, love of the lovable from love of the unlovely, preferential love from love as the royal law, love as mutual egotism from triangular love, and erotic love from self-giving love.

This work is marked by Kierkegaard's Socratic awareness of the reader, both as the center of awakened understanding and as the initiator of action. Written to be read aloud, the book conveys a keenness of thought and an insightful, poetic imagination that make such an attentive approach richly rewarding. Works of Love not only serves as an excellent place to begin exploring the writings of Kierkegaard, but also rewards many rereadings.

Customer Reviews (11)

A Profound Experience
I dreaded reading Works of Love, but it was necessary to complete the course. At first it was a struggle to get into the book, but once one gets used to the style, you can get into it. By the time I finished the book I was emotionally overwhelmed.

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) reflects on several Scriptural passages, such as St. Paul's famous passage on love in his First Letter to the Corinthians. His discussion sheds light on the application of these concepts to day-to-day life. Kierkegaard reminds us that love brings a sense of immortality, for it binds the temporal with the eternal.

Reading this book may well give you a life-changing experience - it has certainly changed my outlook on life.

One of his best works
_Works of Love_ by Kierkegaard is the most uplifting, encouraging, and hope-restoring book I have ever read.Kierkegaard's statement that "the greatest act of love anyone can ever achieve is to mourn for someone who is dead"is a statement I have used to guide myself through innumerable existential crises and has given me hope in my darkest hours.The wisdom contained in this book is an essential tool in dealing with the premature and untimely death of a loved one, and restoring your hope and faith in God even in the face of tragedy.Kierkegaard's sense of empathy and morality is unsurpassed by any other philosopher living or dead, and I will also go so far as to call him a saint.

This book is also extremely well-written, well-translated, and readable._Works of Love_ is living proof of the theory that inherently complicated and profound subject matter does not necessarily have to be extremely difficult to read.Kierkegaard's use of anecdotal situations and clear real-life examples to illustrate his theories make the book more readily understandable, and his writing style naturally lends itself to clear and accurate translation.Unlike many German philosophers of the same time period, Kierkegaard (from Denmark) does not lapse into highly personal, abstract, and inaccessable concepts, but instead focuses on more realistic and timeless problems that have plagued humanity since the dawn of sentience.While authors like Hegel and Schopenhauer are intellectually stimulating and mildly interesting, reading their works does not exactly make you happier, more hopeful, and more empathetically caring.You are often left with nothing but pie-in-the-sky theories regarding esoteric philosophical questions that are only marginally relevant to the everyday realities we experience.Kierkegaard, on the other hand,can greatly improve the quality of your life, and help you achieve a positive and non-hateful outlook.

Also keep in mind that this is easily Kierkegaard's most personal book, revealing the inner nature of his own spiritual beliefs.Unlike an author like Heidegger, who will ramble for 400 pages and never even bother to tell you if he believes in God or not, Kierkegaard is up front and honest with the reader, speaking directly to us.A true expert on Kierkegaard knows that he often wrote under pseudonyms, and playfully stepped into another character or alter-ego, lending an almost ficticious aspect to some of his philosophical works.In reading some of these pseudonymous books, a careful reader will observe that Kierkegaard often contradicts his real persona in subtle ways.It is easy to overlook his purposeful self-contradictions and alter-ego characterizations unless you compare these works with his more personal and truthful works, _Works of Love_ being the prime example.

Should you buy this book? YES!!I unconditionally recommend this book to anyone, anywhere.It is the perfect introduction to Kierkegaard; the one you should read first.It is also a recapitulation and summary of all of his most important concepts, so it could also be read last.But at some point you must read this book.The only type of person who would not appreciate this book is someone who has thoroughly convinced himself of the hopelessness, meaninglessness, and absurdity of existence; someone who has become completely disillusioned with God in response to tragedy, and believes knowledge can only beget sorrow.Most people with this kind of negative outlook are often anti-intellectuals anyway, and seldom read legitimate philosophical books anymore.But even if you are disillusioned with God and unable to comprehend tragedy, you still might want to read this book because it may provide the only way out of your depressing predicament._Works of Love_ is a shining beacon of hope in an often violent, tragic, and chaotic universe, and is one of the few books ever written that is sophisticated and credible enough to pull even the most die-hard sceptic out of the despair of hopelessness.

The Center of Kierkegaard's Philosophy
This is more of a reaction to Kierkegaard's"Works of Love" than a review of the book.I cannot perfect perfection.

First, he hits the genius of Christianity, and take's Paul's chapter on Charity, 1 Corinthians 13 as the backbone text.This is an impressive "love poem" which really explains why Christianity is so novel.If you don't believe me, read pre-Christian literature, such as Socrates, Homer, or The Epic of Gilgamesh.Pre-Christian society ignored human dignity and worth, and people were just functions of the state, or the whim of the king.

Secondly, Kierkegaard recognizes that love is a work, and not merely a state of heart or a chattering point.This notion of work is anathema to "Pop Protestantism," which was Kierkegaard's mortal enemy.He commented that the obsession with "grace" had turned Christianity upside-down, and had caused men to try and cheat God out of his religion.This is another way of saying that faith without works is dead.

Kierkegaard last insight is that God is the basis of love, which he underscores in the opening invocation.Too many people gloss by this prefacing prayer, but that is what separates love and love with power.God gives us power to love.

I found this translation quite readable.Soren, in any version, is rather thick, almost as if he is intentionally trying to hide things.Part of difficulty comes from the dense 19th Century verbosity that was a token of the age.However, his greatest asset is humorous illustrations, which helps mentally fix the points forever.

The only criticism I have is that Kierkegaard does not connect love to the Atonement. He does, in the introductory benediction, assert that we need to have love securely wedded to God, but he does not connect love to the Atonement and the Resurrection, the central doctrines of Christianity.

This is Soren at his best, so I recommend that you begin your Danish journey here, then move on to "Either/Or," "Fear And Trembling," and "Sickness Unto Death."But the key to Kierkegaard's existentialism is love.

To conquer the anxiety
The title of this book is originally named not as "The Concept of Love", but as "The Concept of Anxiety".It means that this book is written not for love to be desired, but for anxiety to beconquered. Therefore, if you fell anxious because of love, you should readthis book.He will introduce you to the true love with the healing of yourheart.

This book is written after "The Diary of A Seducer",which resembles certain French immoral novel. This is the secret that hemust write this book. It didn't bring pleasure to him actually, but thedeep gap between him and his fiancee. Therefore, he falled into thecritical solitute accompanied with anxiety and sorrow. To overcome thissituation, the sincere relationship with people and God are necessary, hethinks. From my viewpoint, this is all of the background of this book. Thereason that his thinking gets much sympathy from people is the modern themeof the absense of the human relationship.

The Core Work of Kierkegaard - Must Read
Whatever you may think about Soren's views, this book is the pinnacle of his work.The first part of the book clarifies the meaning of true Godly love, to love your neighbor.Each page is riveting and triggers newunderstanding about truly loving another not romantically or out ofworldiness, but out of Godliness.

A must read for Christians and forothers interested in understanding Kierkegaardian philosphy. ... Read more

Book Description
Few writer-philosophers of the past have evoked as much curiosity in the twentieth century than Soren Kierkegaard. The further one probes into his thought the more his ideas prove to have relevance for the modern world and especially to Christians. Such is the case with psychology.

For Kierkegaard, the study of psychology is intrinsically linked with the task of personal becoming, reflecting his own struggle to overcome the dark and cheerless environment of his early life. His interpretive framework os consciously Christian. In his view, humankind was made for relation with God, and this recognition is basic to self-understanding. But in self-deception and rebellion against God, human beings are constantly resisting their own true happiness and fighting against their own best interests.

On this Kierkegaardian premise, C. Stephen Evans unfolds the implications and effects of this human desire for wholeness and growth of the self. This book is written "for psychologists, pastors, counselors, and ordinary people struggling to understand themselves and others." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for Christian's wanting an overview
Many people into Kierkegaard are atheists. Of course, K was not. He might find the use of his works to defend that position interesting to say the least. Much of his work really is the basis for any 'Christian Psychology' with any real depth to it. K is very tough going sometimes for several resons, and many people need an overview before diging into the source material. This author does a great job in explaining K from a religous perspective. Particularly if you are a believer, this is a great place to start. Also the 'Hong' "Esential Kierkegaard" is a great anthology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent one- volume selection of the journals
The 'Journals' of Kierkegaard are not simply the testing - ground for many of his ideas and projects, they are the life- record which indicates his mood and feeling. He began them in 1833 when he was twenty, and wrote them to the end of his life. They served in a way as his most important and trusted friend. In them he contemplated important life- decisions. They are an important supplement to his most important works, and contain many of his most original thoughts and aphorisms.
To give a real feeling of the Journals I will quote one of the most famous passages at some length. It was written in 1843.

" . What I really need is to be clear about what I am to do, not what I must know, except in the way knowledge must precede all action. It is a question of understanding my destiny, of seeing what the Deity really wants me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I am willing to live and die. And what use here would it be if I were to discover a so-called objective truth, or if I worked my way through the philosophers' systems and were able to call them all to account on request, point out inconsistencies in every single circle? And what use here would it be to be able to work out a theory of the state, and put all the pieces from so many places into one whole, construct a world which, again, I myself did not inhabit but merely held up for others to see? What use would it be to be able to propound the meaning of Christianity, to explain many separate facts, if it had no deeper meaning for myself and for my life? "

In this passage Kierkegaard contemplates and fleshes out his own life- mission. Note how rich the passage is in the figurative 'as if 'language which so enriched his writing. Note too how the writing despite its somewhat awkward mode of motion makes definite progress towards a wise and turning- point life decision."

A superb one-volume distillation of Kierkegaard's journals
Along with an older and somewhat smaller one-volume edition by Alexander Dru (worth seeking out, but very difficult to find), this provides readers of Kierkegaard's works a usable collection of highlights from his massive and exceedingly important JOURNALS AND PAPERS.Although this volume runs to over 700 pages, it does not represent a tenth of the complete edition in Danish.

There are many reasons for someone to read in Kierkegaard's journals.He used his journals for dry runs for many ideas that later cropped up in his various books and discourses.He often presents these ideas in a more straightforward manner than he would in his books.But he also often writes things that he did not intend to be seen by the public in his lifetime.Make no mistake about it:Kierkegaard definitely wrote these journals with the assumption that they would later be read by others in published form.But the knowledge that this would only come after his death freed him from any form of constraint, not that even here he is terribly forthcoming.

Reading the journals is also essential because it is the only way to get a truly balanced picture of his literary career and life.For instance, the caricature of Kierkegaard is of a soul who unhappily engaged in a Quixotic battle with the Danish Lutheran church in the final years of his life.The image is of an unhappy, isolated, tormented soul who never finds his rest.In fact, from the journals we find a person who has achieved a great deal of personal peace and a quiet contentment.This cannot be drawn from the books he published in his lifetime, but only from the journals.For all these reasons, anyone interested in Kierkegaard will profit enormously from these pages.

My lone complaint is that Alastair Hannay is not the most gifted prose stylist in the world.I have read just about all his words in English (all dealing with Kierkegaard or translations of Kierkegaard), and while I have no doubt about his accuracy as a translator, I have no confidence in his literary abilities.As a result, the volume--like the other volumes he has translated for Penguin--is highly serviceable, but not something that will thrill and inspire.

I should mention that Amazon shows a Princeton University Press edition of the JOURNALS scheduled to appear in the fall of 2004.I do not know very much about this edition.I am assuming that it is a single volume edition, but I have no idea how extensive of an edition this will be.Princeton's publications of Kierkegaard's works tend to be somewhat schizophrenic.While their edition of Kierkegaard's works are likely to be the standard edition for a very long time to come, they also produce some odd collections that seem to be targeted at a more popular audience.Perhaps their edition will be scholarly (my hope).Either way, this excellent volume by Penguin will either serve if the Princeton is unhelpful, or a useful alternative if it is successful. ... Read more

Book Description
The purpose of this new collection is two fold. First, to make Kierkegaard accessible; second, to present in as concise a way possible his "heart," his core themes, and his passion. Divided into six sections, Provocations contains a little of everything from Kierkegaard's prodigious output, including his famously cantankerous (yet wryly humorous) attacks on what he calls the "mediocre shell" of conventional Christianity, his brilliantly pithy parables, and his incisive attempts to dig through the fluff of theology and clear a way for the basics: decisiveness, obedience,and recognition of the truth.

Arguably the most accessible Kierkegaard volume to be published in decades, Provocations is a must for every serious reader. Indeed, the wealth of sayings and aphorisms collected in one of the sections is reason enough to buy the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Looking in a mirror
Kierkegaard has to be one of the most consistently insightful authors I have ever read. To that end, Provocations is an indispensable collection of his religious writings. His comments are so profound, so searching, so sharp and biting, that it is impossible to read this book as a Christian and not feel at once challenged to admit your own hypocrisy.As you read his critique of Christendom, I guarantee you will find yourself saying, 'Yes, that is me. I am like that.' But its not all negative. He points to the vanity and hypocrisy of Christendom with a view to show what true Christianity is all about. I haven't yet come across anything in Kierkegaard where I've said that he is wrong.

This is perhaps the most thought-provoking book in my library. A must have.

word barbs for your soul
Of course I'd heard of Kierkegaard. I'd heard some people condemn him as a heretic, others herald him a saint, and still others blame him for the current of hopelessness flowing through today's society. So, when I picked up this volume I didn't know what to expect.

What I experienced was almost like a spiritual awakening. Kierkegaard's uses the scalpel of insight to pick away at the crust of dead orthodoxy. Now dog-eared and covered with highlighted passages and notes, this book has become one of my favorites of all time. Even if you have no interest in philosophy, check it out--you won't be overwhelmed. But you might be provoked.

"By acting your life will come into collision with existence...
...and then you will know the reality of grace."p 254

Kierkegaard is too good to miss.Unfortunately his writings were so copious and obscured under the cloak of pseudonyms that many people give up before they begin to mine the riches of his work.Moore has finally provided an accessible distillation of his work in this topical compilation.There are 98 topics (e.g. doubt, love, faith/reason, despair, risk, passion...) which either contain single, important passages or a series of quotes from various works.I often found myself laughing out loud.

Unlike many Kierkegaard scholars who insist on anachronistically viewing him through his twentieth century French interpreters, Moore has a sense for passions, wit and contributions of the Danish philosopher.A caution: SK out of context can often be misinterpreted since he usually speaks in a voice not his own, intended to incite passionate response.However, I would still highly recommend it to anyone who has either a deep interest or a passing curiosity in Kierkegaard or a passionate, authentic life of action in general.

(Note: the text of this is also available in a free, searchable pdf on-line).

Kierkegaard's deep, provocational Christianity
I might have rated this collection of writings higher, but didn't because there are points on which I disagree with Kierkegaard. However, where he is right, he is intensely right:
"There is a tremendous danger in which we find ourselves by being human, a danger that consists in the fact that we are placed between two tremendous powers. The choice is left to us. We must either love or hate, and not to love is to hate. So hostile are these two powers that the slightest inclination towards the one side becomes absolute opposition to the other. Let us not forget this tremendous danger in which we exist. To forget is to have made your choice." To Kierkegaard, self confident rationalism was an inadequate window on truth -- was in fact an egotistical self-deception. His seemingly counter-intuitive insistence that objective thought is inherently incomplete and uncertain has been supported in our post-modern age by principles of quantum theory. But he was less interested in being "right" than he was in existing, which for Kierkegaard meant being ready for decisive action. For him, 'actions speak louder than words,' and decision embodies greater truth than does detached rationalism. He exposes the sacred cows of "Christendom" as rotting corpses. He provokes. The thinking Christian need not agree with Kierkegaard on all fronts, so to speak, but he should not avoid these provocations. As counter-point to common, sugar coated, and silly versions of religion, they must be considered. While Kierkegaard, like Kant, can be difficult, many of these selections are powerful and certainly worthy of the effort. It is when Kierkegaard writes of love and of forgiveness that he is most profound:
"... if your life expresses the little you have understood, you speak more powerfully than all the eloquence of orators."

when philosophy aims a Hubble telescope at God
This is a book that will wrestle with your soul at the deepest level, yet it is written in language that will deal with your mind in the most simple terms, without demanding you to take a leap of arcane philosophical knowledge. Here is Kierkegaard for all of us: the philosopher who holds a mirror to one's innermost being and at the same time aims a Hubble telescope right at God. One way or another, this book is bound to change your life. ... Read more

Book Description
Love can be surprising. Love can be heartbreaking. Love can be an art. But love is the singular emotion that all humans rely on most . . . and crave endlessly, no matter what the cost. United by this theme of love, the nine titles in the Penguin Great Loves collection include tales of blissful and all-encompassing, doomed and tragic, erotic and absurd, seductive and adulterous, innocent and murderous love. A deeply moving addition to the Penguin Great Ideas and Great Journeys series, each gorgeously packaged book will challenge all expectations of love while celebrating the beauty of its existence.

All books in this series: Cures for Love
Doomed Love
The Eaten Heart
First Love
Forbidden Fruit
The Kreutzer Sonata
A Mere Interlude
Of Mistresses, Tigresses and Other Conquests
The Seducer’s Diary
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A "war of conquest"...
According to Kierkegaard, there are three stages or spheres of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious one. In "The seducer's diary", the author depicts the life of someone who has made a conscious choice for the aesthetic way of life, with all the consequences that implies.

The plot is simple, and the book is very short, but all the same the reader will become easily and quickly involved with the characters, and won't be able to forget the lessons learned through them. Johannes is a seducer for vocation and profession: being a seducer isn't really his job, but that is undoubtedly what gives meaning to his life. He likes women only until they have given him everything: it is then that he leaves them, and searches for a new "love". Johannes isn't capable of a big love that will last forever, but rather of many fleeting little "loves", with a definite time limit ("I am an aesthete, an eroticist, who has grasped the nature and the point of love, who believes in love and knows it from the ground up, and I reserve for myself only the private opinion that no love affair should last more that a half a year at most and that any relationship is over as soon as one has enjoyed the ultimate.").

"The seducer's diary" is a transcription of part of Johannes diary. Here the reader will be able to follow the different stages of Johannes seduction (and ultimate betrayal) of Cordelia, his prey. The way in which Johannes plans the above mentioned seduction is rather astonishing, due to the fact that he thinks about it as a "war of conquest" that he has to win little by little, through many well-conceived strategies. Not matter how passionate he might seem at times, we are remembered again and again that he is cold-bloodedly constant to his primal purpose.

On the whole, I really liked "The seducer's diary", and can recommend it to you. To tell the truth, I cannot say that I loved the ending, but I can see that it illustrates Kierkegaard point of view perfectly, bringing home the idea that a purely aesthetic way of life isn't an intelligent choice. Of course, we already knew that, but it is all the same a good idea to read why, expressed in such a conspicuously clear way as this.

Belen Alcat

Where's the wiseman,that wouldnot be I,if she wouldnot deny
This was truly, an amazing read! The words that will be written here, can never begin to tell the complexity of this story. Soren tells, of seductive love, and loss of, through Johannes and Cordelia. Was Kierkegaard a scheming madman, or simply a fool...

The story is told by Johannes, a man ten years Cordelias senior, who spins a web, to bring this young girl of seventeen, into womanhood through an erotic seduction of the mind. Johannes, a brilliant intellectual, I believe, uses the ripple effect of thought to determine the out come of each move that he plots. For instance, when you drop a stone into water, it sends out a ripple of rings, each one, a different path to take, each with it's own set of consequences. Constantly, he's questioning, thinking, and calculating.

Johannes, purposely studies everything about Cordelias' life. Her circle of friends, her family, her daily schedule. Then he makes sure to intervene un-noticed. For example, he knows that at 11am she will be walking down a particular street, he makes a point to walk past her. A day of shopping , to be in the store where she is at. But never approches her, always standing in the shadows. Subconsciously, he's placing his image in her mind. When he discovers that she lives with her Aunt, he sets out to court the Aunt, and befriends Edward, a shy, awkward boy, who's infatuated with Cordelia. But Johannes only uses Edward, to his own advantage of course, exposing Cordelia to the differences between Edward, the boy, and himself, the man. Eventually, Cordelia takes notice, and poor Edward is soon discarded. It's at that point when Johannes askes the Aunt for Cordelia's hand, in an engagement. The Aunt agrees, and Cordelia and Johannes begin their journey.

If you have ever been in love, truly in love, you will feel it written within the pages of this book. The kind we may only find once in our lives, if we are lucky enough for fate to expose it to us with open eyes. I believe that Johannes, found the truest, purest love, with Cordelia, but chose to play a game of the mind, instead of listening to the heart. Which in the end, haunted him the rest of his life!

This book is filled with visionary metaphors, which only adds to it's beauty. Once you attain the rhythm of the prose, it flows like sweet nectar on the palate.

it was great, but tragic
it was awesome, it is full of emotion!i feel bad for edvard and especially cordelia.all the characters end up getting shafted at the end, except johannes which is shafted by his existence, the guy has mad people skills, but is a total dumb ass, (he is living the worst kind of existence according to kierkagard's 3 possible life choices; 1. aesthetic 2. ethical 3. religous) but you kind of feel sorry for him too.

the cerebral seducer
This reader is torn between joy that this amazing text-within-a text is in print and available to an English-language audience and concern that it is taken out of the context of its intellectual "home," the monumental philosophical work Either/Or.Be that as it may, the Seducer's Diary alone is an entrancing read.The layers of metafiction and seduction are dizzying, the tone and pace wonderfully genteel, but with a hard and frightening core that is guaranteed to give most readers pause.The Diary was written as a supreme example of the concept of the asethetic in the "Either" section of Either/Or."Or" takes up Kierkegaard's notion of the ethical.Both the aesthetic and the ethical turn out to be pathetic stages on life's way according to Kierkegaard, the only true path being the religious.But don't let the philosophy hamper your enjoyment of the ultimate reflective seducer.Kierkegaard's Johannes makes Don Juan look like a clod. ... Read more

Book Description
Diary of a Seducer records Johannes's discovery of a girl with the Shakespearean name Cordelia, whom he sets out to control. Intricately, meticulously, cunningly, the seduction proceeds. No detail is too small to escape Johannes. "She sits on the sofa by the tea table and I sit on a chair at her side. This position has an intimate quality and at the same time a detaching dignity." Less erotic than an intellectual depiction of seduction, Diary of a Seducer shows the casuist Kierkegaard in what he characterized as the aesthetic mode. A new introduction by Michael Dirda puts this influential novella into high relief. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Nerd fantasy
I just had the pleasure of rereading this book that I first read 20 years ago on the recommendation of one of my graduate school professors. It's an impressive statement of belief in the power of the mind over the superficial while playing to a wholly inappropriate (but amusing) chord of self pity and thinly veiled self love. A great perspective on Soren's mind.

Don't be fooled...
...by contemporary pop memoirs like "The Game" and "The System."After all, whatever weaknesses those "pick-up artists" overcame, be it shyness or baldness, they certainly didn't have to deal with having a hunchback or living in a society which elevated prudishness.As a second advantage, Kierkegaard also learned how to write.Don't hate the player...

the ultimate aesthetic experience
As most Kierkegaard buffs will know, this novel is actually a small part of the monumental philosophical tract, Either/Or from 1843.Please don't let that fact keep you from reading this delightfully seductive and disturbing novel.In it, Kierkegaard sets out to describe and explore the life of the ultimate aesthete, Johannes, as he targets an innocent young girl, Cordelia, for seduction.Kierkegaard plays with layers of framing and writes such exquisite prose that at least this reader constantly has to struggle not to be seduced by the beauty of it.His aim in writing the text is, at least in part, to show how horrible Johannes and people like him really are, but a surprising number of people just plain don't get the subtlety of Kierkegaard's irony.Hannay's translation doesn't seem to get in the way (I've read it in the original Danish as well), although I'll leave it to the Kierkegaard scholars to determine whether its really a good translation or not. ... Read more