杏吧原创

THIS reviewer has read every page of every book, honest. Until now, presented with an 892-page biography of the 19th-century great Dane, author and self-described genius S酶ren Kierkegaard.

Named for the proximity of his grandfather鈥檚 farm to the churchyard, born as the surprise late-life son of a self-made merchant and his erstwhile serving maid, brought up shuttling between the state church and the theologically radical Moravian Brethren, Kierkegaard became the scourge of 鈥渙fficial鈥� Christianity and bane of bishops. His writings, including his 1841 master of theology thesis The Concept of Irony, then Either/Or and Repetition in 1843, prefigured much European philosophy. His cousin Henrik Lund scandalously protested at his graveside in 1855 that the church was recuperating him 鈥� a media event that Kierkegaard could almost have engineered to further his disestablishmentarianism.

I shall, eventually, read the parts in between, I promise. And on the basis of my sampling of Bruce Kirmmse鈥檚 engaging translation, I recommend you do so too.