Kierkegaard

Funnily enough, I've never read any of Søren Kierkegaard's works, even though I've heard of his theories before. And before reading this, I wanted to read something, but I couldn't really find it in public domain or in the library. So I decided to just go ahead and read it.

Kierkegaard is aimed at the general reader and is meant to be accessible. Happily, it delivers on the promise.

The book starts when Kierkegaard dies. And then it looks back towards his life, from when he was a student to when he started getting notoriety. Each chapter tends to focus on one aspect or one stage of life, such as his doomed love affair, his period of supposed dormancy, etc. Søren Kierkegaard comes across as a flawed human being - irritating, but with a purpose that came to dominate his life. I thought that this was summed up very well by his two wills:

One was to his ex-fiance, whom he never stopped loving, even though he purposely rejected her and made her give up on him. This is the part of him that the book calls "the champion of individuality"

One included instructions for the following to be put on his headstone:
"In a little while
I shall have won,
Then the entire battle
Will disappear at once.
Then I may rest
In halls of roses
And unceasingly,
And unceasingly
Speak with my Jesus"
The second half of the book is an overview of his works, which is helpful now that I'm looking for one of his works to start with (but when I can actually find it).

The book truly lives up to its promise - it is an accessible introduction of the man and his works.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

I had no idea about the agonist before encountering this book. A quite concisee introduction to Kierkegaard for those with little to no prior knowledge of his life and times, just like me. Its surprising the author covered his entire life circa 200 pages. The book was really easygoing and a good tea-time read.

I loved this book! For anyone reading Kierkegaard, this book gives great insight into the mind and life of the man. I would highly recommend this book to anyone reading his books. It's a must!

When I chose to read this I did so rather on the basis that it would be “good for me” to learn something about this often mentioned philosopher and thinker. However I expected the reading to be dry and difficult and possibly even beyond me. But it soon became apparent that Backhouse has written a readable, lively, entertaining and above all accessible account of the man and his work. Kierkegaard comes alive on the page, with plenty of anecdotes and personal details, and I found myself really invested in his life story. As for the thinking – all that intellectual stuff – well, Backhouse is equally up to the job of making that accessible too. Admittedly what you get in this book is an overview, but that’s all many of us lay readers need and want. I liked the choice the author made to put summaries of the writings at the back of the book rather than clogging up the narrative – I can now read them at my leisure and not feel overwhelmed. The inclusion of some evocative photographs added to the reading pleasure and all in all I felt this book was an excellent introduction to Kierkegaard, his thought and his legacy, and contrary to my fears I really enjoyed it.

This is one of the few biographies I have found to be fluid and easy to read.
I hadn't heard of Kierkegaard before, but I was intrigued his being compared to Einstein and Freud.
Scandalous and controvery surrounded him even before he was born and people either loved or hated him. Yet, even his detractors found themselves interested in some aspect of his work because atheism and different religious points of view were new to the world at that time.
The use of old pictures of Copenhagen in the 1800s to frame the time and place of the book was lovely.

Sitting around at 2:00 AM in the morning, mid 1970's, and my wife-to-be giving me her most excited thoughts about Soren Kierkegaard. She had tripped across him as a Religion minor in college. And she was on fire for anything-- and everything--she was learning about his philosophy on Christianity. Soren Kierkegaard - one of those giant names in Philosophy-- a brilliant thinker that I have always fondly name dropped as if I had read some of his greatest works.

Still haven't tackled his writings: however, author Stephen Backhouse, a Kierkegaard expert, has given us casual readers a great "access point" to Kierkegaard by writing a biography appropriately entitled "Kierkegaard: A Single Life". This biography is very well -written: not too long, written as a smooth- flowing storyline, and humanizes a man whose name connotes deep thinking but whose life has been blurred behind the writings.

In the foreword to the book Backhouse grabbed me with the following: "Everyone knew that the deceased ( Kierkegaard) had characterized pastors as liars, deceivers, perjurer so; quite literally, without exception, not one honest pastor." As one who fights against all forms of authority that is a great way to describe S.K.! Just a final point of clarification: this is a great biography telling the story of the man who wrote all that deep post - graduate level "stuff" for M. Div candidates. We are given a light- touch on Kierkegaard's writings so that we learn what has made him a giant in Christendom.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for making this book available in advance of the official publication.

One of the best biographies I've read. Oftentimes, biographies-- especially about historic intellectuals-- are drier than dry, but Backhouse is not merely a biographer but a storyteller. The first half, which tells Kierkegaard's life story, is told in a conversational manner, with all the same intrigue as a novel. The latter half was more factual, more along the lines of a traditional biography. Very much looking forward to this author's future endeavors