Psyche ─ Inventions of the Other

In the first volume of this series, readers were given their first contact in English with 16 of Derrida's 28 essays on sexual difference, politics, architecture, negative theology, war, nationalism and religion. In this concluding set of 12 articles Derrida focuses on his relationship with thinkers ranging from Kant to Shakespeare. This collection includes Derrida's seminal work on sexual and ontological difference along with its corollary on Heidegger, admiring reflections on Nelson Mandela and Peter Eisenman, the role of madness in architecture, two fascinating essays on the creation and use of aphorisms, a wry guide on how to avoid speaking, a treatment of the concept of desistance, and a lyrical description on the concept of "yes." The final essay, "Interpretations at War: Kant, the Jew, the German" is likely to become one of the most often cited in this collection. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)