H. C. for Life, That Is to Say... [Hardcover]

H. C. for Life, That Is to Say . . .is Derrida's literary critical recollection of his lifelong friendship with H?l?ne Cixous. The main figure that informs Derrida's reading here is that of taking sides. While H?l?ne Cixous in her life and work takes the side of life, for life, Derrida admits always feeling drawn to the side of death. Rather than being an obvious choice, taking the side of life is an act of faith, by wagering one's life on life.H. C. for Lifesets up and explores this interminable argument between Derrida and Cixous as to what death has in store deep within life itself, before the end. In addition to being a memoir, it is also a theoretical confrontationfor example about the meaning of might and omnipotence, and a philosophical and philological analysis of the crypts within the vast oeuvre of H?l?ne Cixous. Finally, the book is Derrida's tribute to the thought of the woman whom he regards as one of the great French poets, writers, and thinkers of our time.H. C. for Life, That Is to Say . . .is Jacques Derrida's tribute to H?l?ne Cixousthe author, her works, and their lifelong mutual reading and intellectual friendship. Because H?lene Cixous (the H.C. of the title) has a genius for making language speak and because no one knew better than Derrida how to mine the secret's of Cixous's profoundly complex and beguiling prose, this volume stands out as exceptional. Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was Director of Studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and Professor of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine. Among the most recent of his many books to have been translated into English arePaper Machine(2005),On TouchingJean-Luc Nancy(2005),Rogues(2005),Eyes of the University(2004),For What Tomorrow...with Elisabeth Roudinesco (2004),Counterpathwith Catherine Malabou (2004),Negotiations(2002),Who's Afraid of Philosophy?(2002), andWithoulã*