Memory Theater
Simon Critchley$13.56
$15.95
From this renowned philosopher comes a debut work of fiction, at once a brilliant pr cis of the history of philosophy, a semiautobiographical meditation on the absurd relationship between knowledge and memory, and a very funny story
A French philosopher dies during a savage summer heat wave. Boxes carrying his unpublished papers mysteriously appear in Simon Critchley's office. Rooting through them, Critchley discovers a brilliant text on the ancient art of memory and a cache of astrological charts predicting the deaths of various philosophers. Among them is a chart for Critchley himself, laying out in great detail the course of his life and eventual demise. While waiting for his friend's prediction to come through, Critchley receives the missing, final box, which contains a maquette of Giulio Camillo's sixteenth-century Venetian memory theater, a space supposed to contain the sum of all knowledge. With nothing left to hope for, Critchley devotes himself to one final project before his death--the building of a structure to house his collective memories and document the remnants of his entire life.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Other Press (NY)
Published: 11/17/2015
ISBN: 9781590517406
Pages: 112
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.00w x 0.80d
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 07/06/2015
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2015
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/02/2015 pg. 26
New York Times Book Review 12/20/2015 pg. 11
New York Times Book Review 01/14/2016 pg. 52
A French philosopher dies during a savage summer heat wave. Boxes carrying his unpublished papers mysteriously appear in Simon Critchley's office. Rooting through them, Critchley discovers a brilliant text on the ancient art of memory and a cache of astrological charts predicting the deaths of various philosophers. Among them is a chart for Critchley himself, laying out in great detail the course of his life and eventual demise. While waiting for his friend's prediction to come through, Critchley receives the missing, final box, which contains a maquette of Giulio Camillo's sixteenth-century Venetian memory theater, a space supposed to contain the sum of all knowledge. With nothing left to hope for, Critchley devotes himself to one final project before his death--the building of a structure to house his collective memories and document the remnants of his entire life.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Other Press (NY)
Published: 11/17/2015
ISBN: 9781590517406
Pages: 112
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.00w x 0.80d
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 07/06/2015
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2015
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/02/2015 pg. 26
New York Times Book Review 12/20/2015 pg. 11
New York Times Book Review 01/14/2016 pg. 52