French Literature Reviews - 2026

T. Tremblay, Anamneses: An Essay on the Work of Pierre Klossowski
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Thierry Tremblay, Anamneses - Essai sur l'oeuvre de Pierre Klossowski

Paris: Hermann, coll. "Fictions pensantes", 2012.

200 p.

EAN 9782705682774

29.00 EUR

Publisher's Overview:

Writer, philosopher, translator, painter, theologian, secretary to André Gide, friend of Georges Bataille, and close associate of Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, Pierre Klossowski exerted a profound yet subterranean influence on his era. His literary and philosophical writings unquestionably stand among the most demanding works in French literature. To gauge their true significance, one must examine his engagement with occultism and his paradoxical definition of fiction. This is precisely what Thierry Tremblay undertakes in this essay, drawing on an original investigation into the esoteric sources of the author of The Laws of Hospitality, alongside an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms at play in The Bath of Diana and The Baphomet. Eschewing both Marx and Lacan in favor of Thomas Aquinas and Nietzsche, he demonstrates that for Klossowski, the ultimate role of art is to articulate being through the creation of new myths.

Thierry Tremblay holds a Ph.D. from Paris Diderot University (Paris 7). He has taught literature and philosophy at Charles University in Prague, the Anglo-American University (Prague), and the University of Cyprus. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta. His research focuses primarily on the intersections of literature, philosophy, and theology.

Pierre Klossowski occupied a singular position within twentieth-century French intellectual life, maintaining close associations with major figures such as Georges Bataille, Michel Foucault, and Gilles Deleuze. His multifaceted output as a writer, translator, and artist resists straightforward categorization, often bridging esoteric traditions and rigorous philosophical inquiry. The broader landscape of French thought during this period frequently engaged with the intersections of theology, literature, and radical critique, drawing upon diverse intellectual lineages ranging from classical philosophy to modern theories of representation and myth-making.

Thierry Tremblay examines Klossowski's writings through an engagement with occultism and a definition of fiction, focusing in particular on works such as The Laws of Hospitality, The Bath of Diana, and The Baphomet. The study highlights the influence of Thomas Aquinas and Friedrich Nietzsche in shaping an understanding of art as a means to articulate being through the creation of new myths. Readers interested in twentieth-century French literature, the philosophy of art, and esoteric currents in modern thought may find this study relevant.