In Devin Zane Shaw's last blog he highlighted the literary legacy of José Saramago: "writer,communist,iconoclast." Another author that can fit that description is Georges Bataille (1897-1962). This French writer was famous for everything controversial. He is known for outlandish eroticism such as his 1928 novel "Story of The Eye." He used various styles and genres to get across his views on sexuality, politics, and philosophy. Bataille was comfortable using the ideas Karl Marx juxtaposed to Marquis de Sade (as currently seen in the works of Slavoj Zizek). He was certainly an exciting thinker.
This 1958 interview is short and focuses on his work "Literature and Evil." The concepts discussed are thought provoking even if they seem somewhat simplistic. Who can resist Frenchmen dressed up talking about literary theory? Especially when the topic involves Kafka and Baudelaire.
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