Simone Weil: An Introduction to Her Thought

Albert Camus called her the only great spirit of our time. She was one of the most prominent French political thinkers of this century. She was a brilliant social activist a vigilant and critical Marxist. Her religious and philosophical writings are remarkable in their originality. And yet Simone Weil died without ever writing a complete book and without ever formulating a major intellectual testament. In this study of her life and thought John Hellman synthesizes insights drawn from her varied fragmentary writings-notebooks essays and letters-into a single highly original view of the world. This fascinating book reinforces the belief that Simone Weil remains one of the most imaginative and out-of-the-ordinary forces in twentieth-century political thought and social activism. Simone Weil was a mischievous often playful individual with a good sense of humour and that special sense of irony . . . She brought fresh and astute solutions to a host of spiritual problems; she thought about history politics and modern scientific culture in a new and stimulating way. --from the Foreword John Hellman is Professor of History at McGill University Montreal Canada. He specializes in European Intellectual and Modern French History.