Oh my… was I too hasty, classifying Levinas as a European? Didn't he live in France during his working life, teaching and writing in French, though speaking Russian with his wife? Was his choice of the French Republic as the territory for his studies, followed by his successful application for the French citizenship, including military service, just a series of strategic moves for obtaining the easiest living conditions? All this may be true, these questions answered positively, but one decisive element in his career still points in a very European direction – be it perhaps in a way that betrays how I would like to see the European culture and institutions to grow and develop.
It's election time, and what's more: time for European elections. Newsmakers are doing their utmost to promote interest in European affairs – or to provoke discussion pro or contra, which is perhaps quite an effective way to stifle any latent interest in what really matters there. But luckily my newspaper also offered information about an original approach in the Rotterdam Filmfestival opening next wednesday, with as its main theme The State of Europe. A title implicating a subtle reference to the evident fact that Europe is not a State but a cultural phenomenon : a unity in diversity showing all kinds of strategies and tactics for dealing with potentially encumbering differences. With the...
Sometimes deep interhuman agitation leads only to some minor changes – at least so it seems. In Scotland many people can view their present situation in such terms, wondering what a limited autonomy may mean in practice. But some small changes may prove also to be directive towards a new orientation of the greater structure. That is, at least, what I hope to achieve here in the website by changing the heading of some sections. Calling the French section Atelier will hopefully better reflect the actively studious character of its contents. And the term Library (Bibliotheek) will possibly return shortly in a new location, in order to accommodate also an interesting new project. We are also...
Firstly I am glad to welcome here an American colleague-Levinas-translator: Michael Smith, the first one to register as a user, who has already posted some interesting comments to the last TxxTlab article. As regards the English translation under consideration there, I fully agree that a critical appraisal of it should not diminish at all our respect for the pioneering work Al Lingis has done, at a time when Levinas was still largely unknown. For the rest I'll revert to them with pleasure in my next article. In fact, I am presenting Levinas here as a pioneer himself – not like a builder reaching out for ever higher levels, but as an explorer of deeper strata, looking for sediments as...