As heard on Radio 4’s Free Thinking
The first English-language biography of Henri Bergson, the philosopher who defined individual creativity and transformed twentieth century thought.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Henri Bergson became the most famous philosopher on earth. Where prior thinkers sketched out a predictable universe, he asserted the transformative power of consciousness and creativity. An international celebrity, he made headlines around the world debating luminaries like Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein about free will and time. The vision of creative evolution and freedom he presented was so disruptive that the New York Times branded him “the most dangerous man in the world.”
In the first English-language biography of Bergson, Emily Herring traces how his celebration of the time-bending uniqueness of individual experience struck a chord with those shaken by modern technological and social change. Bergson captivated a society in flux like no other. Long after he faded from public view, his insights into memory, time, joy and creativity continue to shape our perceptions to this day. Herald of a Restless World is an electrifying portrait of a singular intellect.
The first English-language biography of Henri Bergson, the philosopher who defined individual creativity and transformed twentieth century thought.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Henri Bergson became the most famous philosopher on earth. Where prior thinkers sketched out a predictable universe, he asserted the transformative power of consciousness and creativity. An international celebrity, he made headlines around the world debating luminaries like Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein about free will and time. The vision of creative evolution and freedom he presented was so disruptive that the New York Times branded him “the most dangerous man in the world.”
In the first English-language biography of Bergson, Emily Herring traces how his celebration of the time-bending uniqueness of individual experience struck a chord with those shaken by modern technological and social change. Bergson captivated a society in flux like no other. Long after he faded from public view, his insights into memory, time, joy and creativity continue to shape our perceptions to this day. Herald of a Restless World is an electrifying portrait of a singular intellect.
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Reviews
The most intellectually stimulating book I read this year . . . Bergsonism is definitely due a revival
Sensitive and compelling
Lively and deft
From perfumed ladies to the end-of-life mud baths, this beautifully written book tells the story of a seemingly unassuming, bowler-hatted Frenchman, whose philosophy would sweep the world. Its profound ideas - evolution, consciousness, time - are explored with depth and humour in a way that is, appropriately, creative and new. Herring has captured the magic and the mystique of Bergson
Henri Bergson thought nothing could be learned about a philosopher's ideas by studying their life. Herring proves him very wrong in this engaging biography of the Parisian thinker who accidentally became an international celebrity
With flair and verve, Herring unveils the life and philosophy of the enchanting and trailblazing icon of change and creativity: Henri Bergson. The result is a fascinating biography and magnificent revival of this brilliant thinker who was once the most influential philosopher in the world. Herring's beautifully compelling narrative shows how Bergson's ideas still hold the power to illuminate the human experience and the meaning of life
Thanks to Herring, Bergson is back - and it's about time
Insightful . . . a much-needed reintroduction of Bergson to English-language readers
In the early 20th century, the French philosopher Henri Bergson enjoyed a cult following on both sides of the Atlantic as a result of his romantic theory of time and his arguments in favor of intuition over intellect. Herring's vivid, graceful biography tries to explain what all the fuss was about, and why Bergson's fame vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared