A Lover's Discourse: Fragments (Roland Barthes 110th Birthday Commemorative Edition)

Publishing Rationale

The most talented essayist since Montaigne
The most influential contemporary European and American intellectual master since Sartre
The best contemporary classic on love!

　　Almost no one would deny that Roland Barthes is France's most important modern master since Sartre. He is hailed as a "master of new criticism," whose influence spans Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, semiotics, reception aesthetics, hermeneutics, deconstruction... In all these fields, Barthes carved out a place for himself.

　　Almost no one can define this elusive philosopher, whose consciousness flows like a solitary cloud. This thinker is not only in France but globally a subject of study and pursuit for academics and general readers alike; almost everyone is fascinated by him. However, in Taiwan, he has long been confined to a certain academic tier, circulating among a small niche, and when Barthes is mentioned, he is only intimidatingly referred to as the "master of semiotics." Furthermore, the publishing hiatus of Barthes' Chinese translations over many years has led to a situation where generations since the mid-generation only know the name "Barthes" but not the true essence of his thought.

　　Business Weekly Publications plans to publish a series of works by Roland Barthes. In the summer of 2010, they spearheaded with Barthes' most popular work, A Lover's Discourse: Fragments. This peculiar book, which defies traditional genre classification, employs "scattered perspective" and "zero-degree writing," capturing the colorful fragments of the experience of love. And love, being an eternal theme in literature, is most easily absorbed by the human heart. With new packaging, new interpretations, and new perspectives, we guide readers from our era to understand and experience the spiritual world of Roland Barthes — this rare French classic deserves to have its charm recognized by both the academic world and general readers.