About
André Glucksmann, French philosopher and essayist, is a major figure of the 'New Philosophers' movement. Born into an Ashkenazi Jewish family, he lost his father in 1940 and grew up in a family involved in the Resistance. A former student of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud, he was initially a Marxist and Maoist before breaking with communism after reading The Gulag Archipelago. His work explores the links between philosophy and totalitarianism, and he publicly advocated for human rights, notably in favor of Vietnamese boat people.
* 1937-06-19 — † 2015-11-10
Major works
- Le Discours de la guerre (1967)essay
- La Cuisinière et le Mangeur d'Hommes (1975)essay
- Les Maîtres penseurs (1977)essay
- Dostoïevski à Manhattan (2002)essay
- Une rage d'enfant (2006)autobiography
Key milestones
- 1961Obtained the agrégation in philosophy.
- 1979Mobilized Jean-Paul Sartre and Raymond Aron to convince President Giscard d'Estaing to welcome Vietnamese boat people to France.
- 2015Died in Paris on November 10.
Themes
TotalitarianismPolitical philosophyHumanitarian engagementCritique of MarxismTerrorism
Sources: larousse.fr · oxfordreference.com