Critical Essays Volume 1: 1944–1948

Surveying the post-war cultural landscape while advancing his reflections on excess, non-knowledge, and the general economy, Bataille advanced art and literature as a “great disrupter of the rational” and a mode of sovereign uselessness. This handsome and hefty tome—the first of a projected three volume collection—features an abundance of reflections, articles, essays, and reviews. Topics range from the science of sexuality, the Chinese Revolution, and historical accounts of drunkenness to Goya’s drawings, Nietzsche, Sade, Proust, Arthur Adamov, and a bow to Paul Klee.

2023; paperback; 6 x 9 inches; 400 pages; ISBN: 9781803090603.