Didier Eribon Book order

Exploring the societal treatment of the elderly, this work reflects on personal experiences surrounding the author's mother's decline and death in a retirement home. It delves into themes of autonomy, degradation, and the end-of-life conditions faced by the elderly, questioning their representation in Western thought. Engaging with prominent philosophers, the narrative examines the implications of aging and dependency, while the author reconciles his past with his mother's legacy, transforming grief into a profound commentary on connection and identity.

"There was a question that had come to trouble me a bit earlier, once I had taken the first steps on this return journey to Reims... Why, when I have had such an intense experience of forms of shame related to class, shame in relation to the milieu in which I grew up, why, when once I had arrived in Paris and started meeting people from such different class backgrounds, I would often find myself lying about my class origins... why had it never occurred to me to take up this problem in a book?" Returning to Reims is a breathtaking account of one man's return to the town where he grew up after an absence of thirty years. It is a frank, fearlessly personal story of family, memory, identity and time lost. But it is also a sociologist's view of what it means to grow up working class and then leave that class; of inequality and shifting political allegiances in an increasingly divided nation. A phenomenon in France and a huge bestseller in Germany, Didier Eribon has written the defining memoir of our times.

Focusing on the impact of antihomosexual insults, this analysis reveals how such language continues to shape the lives of gay individuals. Didier Eribon, a prominent gay critic and advocate, combines cultural criticism with deep intellectual insight to explore the complexities of queer identity. His work highlights the radical potential of queer critique, positioning it as a vital discourse in contemporary society. This compelling examination not only critiques societal norms but also advocates for a deeper understanding of the gay experience.

A series of conversations held by Didier Eribon with Sir Ernst Gombrich, art historian, author of The Story of Art and former Director of the Warburg Institute. As undogmatic, sceptical and wide-ranging as ever, Gombrich continues to encourage fresh thoughts on fundamental issues.