In Sartre in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Sartre's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Sartre's writings; a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to push further; and chronologies that place Sartre within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.
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Probably the easiest introduction to existentialism you'll ever find, Sartre in 90 Minutes manages to produce an intellectually credible--and slyly humorous--summary of Jean Paul Sartre's life and work in just over 70 pages. Paul Strathern ably shifts from descriptions of the open relationship between Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to analyses of the contributions of Heidegger and Kierkegaard to Sartre's belief that life is what you make it. The jokes tend to be cynical and snarky in tone; after the publication of Being and Nothingness, for example, "word soon began to spread from the few who actually read the book to those who wished to talk about it as if they had." The philosophical exegesis, however, is spot on, the equivalent of a very good college lecture by an instructor who genuinely wants to make sure students understand the material. If you're at all interested in Sartre and existentialism, pick this book up for a quick, painless introduction.
Review
"Dr. Strathern manages to make philosophic peaks clear-and philosophers human....Miraculously succinct, informative and valuable books." -- Otto Scott's Compass, 1/1/97
"Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization." -- Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe 10/20/96
"I find them hard to stop reading....Mr. Strathern's books are well-written, clear and informed; they have a breezy wit about them....Good enough for them to provide genuine education." -- Richard Bernstein, New York Times, 7/2/98
"Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise." -- Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal, 3/18/97
"Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization." -- Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe 10/20/96
"I find them hard to stop reading....Mr. Strathern's books are well-written, clear and informed; they have a breezy wit about them....Good enough for them to provide genuine education." -- Richard Bernstein, New York Times, 7/2/98
"Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise." -- Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal, 3/18/97
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Most helpful customer reviews
By E. Haensel
Format:Paperback
I would wonder how many reviewers of this book have read any Sartre.
This book is a nice introduction to the life of sartre seen as a comic strip. It selects from his texts to convey more of a drama of thoughts and actions than a sincere attempt to introduce, however briefly, his ideas with any integrity.
In my opinion it is incredibly misleading, although entertaining in its thesaurus straining attempt to give the same impression of someone in as many different words as possible.
Highly un-recommended.
*For those interested in my implied authority to label this as a misrepresentation of his work, I have read (among other texts of his):
Being and Nothingness
Sketch for a Theory of the Emotions
Words
Existentialism is a Humanism
The Critique of Dialectical Reason (Vol. 1 & 2)
Between Existentialism and Marxism
all his novels, several plays, and many biographies and critical works regarding his thought.
This book is a nice introduction to the life of sartre seen as a comic strip. It selects from his texts to convey more of a drama of thoughts and actions than a sincere attempt to introduce, however briefly, his ideas with any integrity.
In my opinion it is incredibly misleading, although entertaining in its thesaurus straining attempt to give the same impression of someone in as many different words as possible.
Highly un-recommended.
*For those interested in my implied authority to label this as a misrepresentation of his work, I have read (among other texts of his):
Being and Nothingness
Sketch for a Theory of the Emotions
Words
Existentialism is a Humanism
The Critique of Dialectical Reason (Vol. 1 & 2)
Between Existentialism and Marxism
all his novels, several plays, and many biographies and critical works regarding his thought.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
One of the great things about the internet is that everyone has access to it. One of the problems with the internet is that everyone has access to it. This book "Sartre in 90 Minutes" by Paul Strathern is a fine book that doesn't pretend to be anything more than it claims to be. It is an excellent introduction to Sartre and is much more approachable than the faulty traslations from French that make reading Sartre like swimming in quicksand. Anyone who cannot gain a basic understanding of Sartre's basic premises from reading this book should give up on reading. It provides a succinct and comprehensive explanation of the philosopher, the events that shaped him and his place in history.
One always suspects that totally negative reviews are written by someone who has an ax to grind, another book they wish to promote, or by people who in failing to comprehend what they have read compensate by pointing the blame at the author rather than their own lack of lucidity.
It has been said that one million monkeys with one million typewriters could eventually dupliate the works of Shakespeare. The internet and the millions of monkeys sitting at their keyboards have proved that claim to be false.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By K. English
Format:Hardcover
In contrast to the other reviewers here, I found this to be quite good. Granted, it is extremely basic but that is it's stated purpose. It doesn't claim to be a comprehensive analysis of Sartre's ideas, merely a biographical jumping-off point for those with no prior exposure to the man.
These "IN 90 MINUTES" books are wonderful introductions to the greatest minds of the Western world. I take sincere issue with those (see review below) who would attempt to cloak the study of philosophy behind a smokescreen of intellectual elitism. Such snobbery is contradictory to the goals of all philosophical thought.
Philosophy is for EVERYONE!
Sartre is difficult, yes, but not beyond the intelligence of anyone truly interested and dedicated to understanding.
I recommend this book without reservation.
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