French Literature Reviews - 2026

Vladimir Jankélévitch: The Imprint of a Cultural Mediator
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Vladimir Jankélévitch: The Imprint of a Cultural Mediator
edited by Jean-Marc Rouvière and Françoise Schwab


Éditions Le Manuscrit - 2007
ISBN 2-7481-8584-6

available at www.manuscrit.com
in two formats:
- traditional paperback with home delivery
- downloadable PDF file

Table of Contents

Introductions

Philosophy Speaks to the Firstcomer, by Jean-Marc ROUVIÈRE

A Few Little Things I Know About Him..., by Françoise SCHWAB

Memories of a Comrade, by Maurice de GANDILLAC

Philosophy

Jankélévitch and the Mystery of Suddenness, by Pierre-Michel KLEIN

Commentary on Plotinus' Treatise on Dialectic, by Jacqueline LAGRÉE

Jankélévitch and Shestov, by Isabelle de MONTMOLLIN

Jankélévitch and Levinas, by Joëlle HANSEL

The Ineffable and the Utopian as Dimensions of Listening: Jankélévitch and Bloch, by Elio MATASSI

Music

Jankélévitch's Musical Culture, by Emmanuelle CORBEL

Portrait of Jankélévitch as a Dedicated Music Lover, by Jean-Michel NECTOUX

Memory and Nostalgia, by Francesco CORSINI

The "Logos" of Silence: The Philosophy of Music in Jankélévitch, by Simone ZACCHINI

The Enchanted Temporality, by Françoise SCHWAB

Engagements in the Century. The Cultural Mediator

Jankélévitch and the Question of Law, by Alain LE GUYADER

The Torn Sky: On the Spudarism of Values, by Jean-François REY

Done with Germany, by Alain DAVID

Jankélévitch and Israel, by Gérard HUBER

Malice, by Serge HAJBLUM

Conclusions

Beyond Seriousness, by Lucien JERPHAGNON

Witness in Overcast Weather, by Pierre TROTIGNON

Vladimir Jankélévitch occupies a distinctive place in twentieth-century French philosophy, bridging rigorous academic inquiry with deeply felt reflections on ethics, time, and music. As a scholar and public intellectual, his writings engaged with central currents in modern European thought while maintaining an independent voice focused on the ineffable, the nature of suddenness, and the nuances of moral experience. This volume collects various perspectives on his multifaceted legacy, touching upon his enduring fascination with musical expression, his philosophical influences, and his responses to the historical and political events of his time. Readers interested in twentieth-century French philosophy and the intersection of ethics, aesthetics, and culture may find this collection a useful addition to their studies.