The Hélène Cixous Reader

by Susan Sellers and Hélène Cixous

Book Overview

This is the first truly representative collection of texts by Helene Cixous. The substantial pieces range broadly across her entire oeuvre, and include essays, works of fiction, lectures and drama. Arranged helpfully in chronological order, the extracts span twenty years of intellectual thought and demonstrate clearly the development of one of the most creative and brilliant minds of the twentieth century.
With a foreword by Jacques Derrida, a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 041504930X
• ISBN13: 9780415049306
• Release Date: July 1994
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A translation that communicates the poetry!

This reader is a diverse selection of Cixous' work. Beautifully translated, thoughtfully arranged and annotated. The foreword by Derrida is very helpful in understanding the translation and its difficulties. The text maintains Cixous' poetic exploration of prose. From 'Angst' to 'Deluge' to the 'Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing', one feels they have entered this writer's mind and soul. Cixous's work is deeply psychological and her use of the power of words transcend language, at least in this translation for the most part. The french language is not something that can be transparently 'imported' as certain things are so inherent to the language itself, they cannot be understood by the monoligual psyche.But even for those who never wish to delve into the french language in its original form, this book will do a fine job of throwing them into a pool of thought and mixed feelings.

Helene Cixous Reader: a review

This book of selected texts, arranged chronologically, includes poetry, fiction, essays and theatre pieces. Dense and not easily digested, it is filling fare, full of intricately wrought words and images. Most of the work is translated from original French texts. For me, the most beautiful, clear writing is in sections with Cixous' own revision of the English translation. If you love writing, internal exploration or feminist thought, please read "To Live The Orange", first published in 1979. Her words gave me tears, goosebumps, and a deep experience on many levels.