Join us

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newsletter

Antoine Compagnon

A Summer with Montaigne

Cover: A Summer with Montaigne - Antoine Compagnon

Antoine Compagnon

A Summer with Montaigne

2019, pp. 144, e-Book
ISBN: 9781609455316
Translated by: Tina Kover
Region: France
Book collection: Europa Compass
Paper edition Paper edition Paper edition
$ 10.99
READ NOW READ NOW READ NOW

The book

In his writing and his person, Michel de Montaigne embodied the Humanist ideal. He stands at the start of the French Renaissance in philosophy and literature. But what does Montaigne have to tell us about how to think and live today? In forty short and lively chapters written over a single summer, Antoine Compagnon seeks answers to that question. Compagnon and his subject are congenial, erudite companions. Both are vivid reminders that while ever there are people willing to consider carefully, observe passionately, and speak measuredly, there is hope.

A few years ago, Antoine Compagnon was asked to host a radio broadcast, every day for an entire summer, on a formidable subject: Michel de Montaigne. From that experience came this engaging and entertaining book, A Summer with Montaigne. An intelligent and thought-provoking treatise in forty chapters that will introduce readers unfamiliar with Montaigne to his unique brilliance and remind those who already know Montaigne’s work of its vitality, force, and enduring timeliness.

Compagnon breathes life into the musings of Montaigne, approaching his subject not as the recluse many imagine him to have been, but rather a multi-faceted individual of complex thought and astonishing analytical prowess. Once the mayor of Bordeaux, Montaigne was a committed spirit of his time, advising his powerful contemporaries and always in touch with the questions and concerns of the moment, of which many remain pressing today. Composed over a period of twenty years, Montaigne’s Essays deal with timeless themes. From the problems posed by religion, war, power and friendship to the ridiculousness of our weaknesses, Montaigne’s Essays remain a moving commentary on what it means to be a human being in any age.

Is this a serious and philosophical book? Certainly. But Compagnon never pontificates and is never austere. Many of the anecdotes he chooses allow us to approach the world of Montaigne with a sense of humor and, most importantly, companionship.

The author

Antoine Compagnon
Antoine Compagnon is a Professor of French Literature at Collège de France, Paris, and the Blanche W. Knopf Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, New York. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary degrees from King’s College London, HEC Paris, and the University of Liege.

Press

From the same country

  • Cover: Dogs and Wolves - Hervé Le Corre

    Hervé Le Corre

    Dogs and Wolves

    2024, pp. 304, $ 18.00
    From the master of French noir and winner of the French Voices Prize, a gripping mystery about the blossoming of poisonous passions set in the brooding...
  • Cover: Paradises Lost - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Paradises Lost

    2024, pp. 480, $ 27.00
    The beginning of a unique adventure, the tremendous challenge of recounting the history of humanity.
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2024, pp. 304, $ 18.95
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: The Ogre’s Daughter - Catherine Bardon

    Catherine Bardon

    The Ogre’s Daughter

    2024, pp. 384, $ 28.00
    The turbulent life story of Flor de Oro Trujillo, the eldest child of one of the world’s most brutal dictators.
  • Cover: Here, and Only Here - Christelle Dabos

    Christelle Dabos

    Here, and Only Here

    2024, pp. 224, $ 14.95
    The new novel from the million-copy bestselling author of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
  • Cover: Forgotten on Sunday - Valérie Perrin

    Valérie Perrin

    Forgotten on Sunday

    2024, pp. 304, $ 28.00
    An unforgettable story about an unlikely friendship and about healing the wounds of a broken past from the million-copy bestselling author of Fresh...

More suggestions

  • Cover: The Passenger: Naples - AA.VV.

    AA.VV.

    The Passenger: Naples

    2024, pp. 192, $ 22.00
    Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.    IN THIS VOLUME:...
  • Cover: Moving the Moon: A Night at the Acropolis Museum - Andrea Marcolongo

    Andrea Marcolongo

    Moving the Moon: A Night at the Acropolis Museum

    2024, pp. 144, $ 26.00
    From one of Europe’s most original and brilliant classicists, an inspiring and deeply personal reflection on loss, memory, and what we owe the past...
  • Cover: The Ogre’s Daughter - Catherine Bardon

    Catherine Bardon

    The Ogre’s Daughter

    2024, pp. 384, $ 28.00
    The turbulent life story of Flor de Oro Trujillo, the eldest child of one of the world’s most brutal dictators.
  • Cover: The Passenger: South Korea - AA.VV.

    AA.VV.

    The Passenger: South Korea

    2024, pp. 192, $ 22.00
    Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.   IN THIS VOLUME:...
  • Cover: Living with our Dead - Delphine Horvilleur

    Delphine Horvilleur

    Living with our Dead

    2024, min., $ 26.95
    Read by Jenna Rose Stein WINNER OF THE 2021 BABELIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A timely, powerful reflection on our relationship to death...
  • Cover: Living with our Dead - Delphine Horvilleur

    Delphine Horvilleur

    Living with our Dead

    2024, pp. 144, $ 24.00
    WINNER OF THE 2021 BABELIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A timely, powerful reflection on our relationship to death and an invitation to accept...

Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!

Stay updated on Europa’s forthcoming releases, author tours and major news.

Are you a bookseller? Click here!

Are you a librarian? Click here!

X