Jules Henri Saiset

Last updated

Jules Henri Saiset was a prominent French existentialist philosopher, dramatist, novelist, and critic, who contributed significantly to the field of existentialism. He was born in Paris on July 11, 1925, and grew up in the aftermath of the First World War, which had a profound impact on his worldview.

Despite his difficult upbringing, Saiset showed great promise as a thinker from an early age. He began his academic career studying philosophy at the Sorbonne University, one of the most prestigious universities in France. There, he was influenced by the works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, all of whom were leading existentialist thinkers of the time.

Saiset's work focused on the themes of individualism, freedom, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. He believed that individuals had the power to shape their own destinies and that the pursuit of meaning was essential for a fulfilling life. His ideas were particularly influential in the post-war era, when many people were struggling to make sense of the horrors they had witnessed.

In addition to his philosophical work, Saiset was also a prolific writer of plays and novels. His most famous work, the play "Les Mains Sales" (Dirty Hands), was first performed in 1948 and is still widely performed today. It deals with themes of political responsibility and moral compromise, and is seen as a classic of the existentialist genre.

Saiset continued to write and teach throughout his life, and was recognized as one of the leading existentialist thinkers of his time. He died on July 12, 1995, but his legacy continues to inspire new generations of thinkers and artists.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Camus</span> French philosopher, author, and journalist (1913–1960)

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works include The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall, and The Rebel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Existentialism</span> Philosophical form of enquiry into subjective existence

Existentialism is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the issue of human existence. Existentialist philosophers explore questions related to the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence. Common concepts in existentialist thought include existential crisis, dread, and anxiety in the face of an absurd world, as well as authenticity, courage, and virtue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Paul Sartre</span> French Existentialist philosopher (1905–1980)

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, as well as a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism. His work has influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies, and continues to do so. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it, saying that he always declined official honors and that "a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Beckett</span> Nobel-winning Irish writer (1906–1989)

Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic experiences of life, often coupled with black comedy and nonsense. His work became increasingly minimalist as his career progressed, involving more aesthetic and linguistic experimentation, with techniques of repetition and self-reference. He is considered one of the last modernist writers, and one of the key figures in what Martin Esslin called the Theatre of the Absurd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simone de Beauvoir</span> French philosopher, social theorist and activist (1908–1986)

Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she considered one at the time of her death, she had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugène Ionesco</span> Romanian-French playwright

Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco instigated a revolution in ideas and techniques of drama, beginning with his "anti play", The Bald Soprano which contributed to the beginnings of what is known as the Theatre of the Absurd, which includes a number of plays that, following the ideas of the philosopher Albert Camus, explore concepts of absurdism. He was made a member of the Académie française in 1970, and was awarded the 1970 Austrian State Prize for European Literature, and the 1973 Jerusalem Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absurdist fiction</span> Genre of novels, plays, poems, films, or other media

Absurdist fiction is a genre of novels, plays, poems, films, or other media that focuses on the experiences of characters in situations where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events that call into question the certainty of existential concepts such as truth or value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absurdism</span> Theory that life in general is absurd

Absurdism is the philosophical theory that existence in general is absurd, meaning that the world lacks meaning or a higher purpose and is not fully intelligible by reason. The term "absurd" has a specific sense in the context of absurdism: it refers to a conflict or a discrepancy between two things but there are several disagreements about their exact nature. These disagreements have various consequences for whether absurdism is true and for the arguments cited in favor and against it. Popular accounts characterize the conflict as a collision between rational man and an irrational universe, between intention and outcome, or between subjective assessment and objective worth. An important aspect of absurdism is its claim that the world as a whole is absurd. It differs in this regard from the less global thesis that some particular situations, persons, or phases in life are absurd.

David John Lodge CBE is an English author and critic. A literature professor at the University of Birmingham until 1987, some of his novels satirise academic life, notably the "Campus Trilogy" – Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses (1975), Small World: An Academic Romance (1984) and Nice Work (1988). The second two were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Another theme is Roman Catholicism, beginning from his first published novel The Picturegoers (1960). Lodge has also written television screenplays and three stage plays. After retiring, he continued to publish literary criticism. His edition of Twentieth Century Literary Criticism (1972) includes essays on 20th-century writers such as T. S. Eliot. In 1992, he published The Art of Fiction, a collection of essays on literary techniques with illustrative examples from great authors, such as Point of View, The Stream of Consciousness and Interior Monologue, beginning with Beginning and ending with Ending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Marcel</span> French philosopher, playwright and music critic (1889–1973)

Gabriel Honoré Marcel was a French philosopher, playwright, music critic and leading Christian existentialist. The author of over a dozen books and at least thirty plays, Marcel's work focused on the modern individual's struggle in a technologically dehumanizing society. Though often regarded as the first French existentialist, he dissociated himself from figures such as Jean-Paul Sartre, preferring the term philosophy of existence or neo-Socrateanism to define his own thought. The Mystery of Being is a well-known two-volume work authored by Marcel.

<i>The Moviegoer</i> 1961 novel by Walker Percy

The Moviegoer is the debut novel by Walker Percy, first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961. It won the U.S. National Book Award. Time included the novel in its "Time 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005". In 1998, the Modern Library ranked The Moviegoer sixtieth on its list of the hundred best English-language novels of the twentieth century. It is published in the UK by Methuen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian existentialism</span> Existentialist approach to Christian theology

Christian existentialism is a theo-philosophical movement which takes an existentialist approach to Christian theology. The school of thought is often traced back to the work of the Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) who is widely regarded as the father of existentialism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reputation of William Shakespeare</span> Reception of William Shakespeare

In his own time, William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was rated as merely one among many talented playwrights and poets, but since the late 17th century has been considered the supreme playwright and poet of the English language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lev Shestov</span> Russian existentialist philosopher (1866–1938)

Lev Isaakovich Shestov, born Yehuda Leib Shvartsman, was a Russian existentialist and religious philosopher. He is best known for his critiques of both philosophic rationalism and positivism. His work advocated a movement beyond reason and metaphysics, arguing that these are incapable of conclusively establishing truth about ultimate problems, including the nature of God or existence. Contemporary scholars have associated his work with the label "anti-philosophy."

<i>Nausea</i> (novel) Novel by Jean-Paul Sartre

Nausea is a philosophical novel by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, published in 1938. It is Sartre's first novel.

<i>The Blood of Others</i>

The Blood of Others is a novel by the French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir first published in 1945 and depicting the lives of several characters in Paris leading up to and during the Second World War. The novel explores themes of freedom and responsibility.

Jewish existentialism is a category of work by Jewish authors dealing with existentialist themes and concepts, and intended to answer theological questions that are important in Judaism. The existential angst of Job is an example from the Hebrew Bible of the existentialist theme. Theodicy and post-Holocaust theology make up a large part of 20th century Jewish existentialism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Existential nihilism</span> Theory that life has no inherent meaning

Existential nihilism is the philosophical theory that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. With respect to the universe, existential nihilism suggests that a single human or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. According to the theory, each individual is an isolated being born into the universe, barred from knowing 'why'. The inherent meaninglessness of life is largely explored in the philosophical school of existentialism, where one can potentially create their own subjective 'meaning' or 'purpose'. Of all types of nihilism, existential nihilism has received the most literary and philosophical attention.

Some observers believe that existentialism forms a philosophical ground for anarchism. Anarchist historian Peter Marshall claims "there is a close link between the existentialists' stress on the individual, free choice, and moral responsibility and the main tenets of anarchism".

Paul-Louis Landsberg was a twentieth century Existentialist philosopher who is known for his works The Experience of Death and The Moral Problem of Suicide.