Jean Baudrillard by Fantin, Emmanuelle

£12.99

Author: Fantin, Emmanuelle

Biography: literary

Published on 1 September 2025 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom as part of ‘the Critical Lives’ series.

Paperback | 184 pages, 31 illustrations
129 x 201 x 12 | 284g

Description

Jean Baudrillard, once hailed as a ‘historian of the future’, remains a vital figure for understanding modern life. Famous for ideas like ‘simulation’ and the ‘hyperreal’, linked to postmodernism and The Matrix, Baudrillard was both celebrated and controversial, known for bold pronouncements about events like the Gulf War and 9/11. Yet the man himself was enigmatic, leading a public life while remaining personally elusive.

This first biography in English explores Baudrillard’s life and work, tracing his journey from the early years and French intellectual prominence to his global influence as a thinker, photographer and public intellectual. Using newly uncovered material, it provides fresh insights into his major works and ideas, offering readers a clear guide to his singular, uncompromising philosophy.