Alain Badiou

Alain Badiou was born in 1937 in Morocco. As a philosopher, he developed a keen interest in mathematics and formal logic. As an author, he is difficult to categorize. He began in the mid-1960s by publishing novels that would be more accurately described as "extended poetic prose." He later abandoned "fiction" literature to devote himself to logic and philosophy. During the same period, politics occupied a significant part of his life and critical thinking. He actively participated in the events of May '68, was passionate about Maoist China, and was also involved with various forms of the labor movement. He maintained friendly relations with Antoine Vitez, who directed "Echarpe rouge." He has written numerous essays on theater, published in "Rhapsodie pour le theatre" and "Beckett, l'increvable desir." He is also a program director at the College International de Philosophie. His multifaceted philosophical work is encapsulated in his book "L'etre et l'evenement," released in 1988. In recent years, he has intensified his theatrical activities. Since 1994, when his play "Ahmed le subtil ou Scapin 84" was staged at the Avignon Festival, he has collaborated with Christian Schiaretti and the Comedie de Reims. This was followed by the performances "Ahmed philosophe," "Ahmed se fache," and finally, "Les Citrouilles," based on Aristophanes' "The Frogs." He returned to the realm of fictional prose in 1997 with the book "Calme bloc ici-bas," which takes Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables" as its starting point. He taught for thirty years, first as a lecturer and then as a professor, at the University Paris-VIII (an experimental university founded immediately after May '68). Today, he is the director of the Philosophy Department at the Ecole Normale Superieure. Philosophy books: - "Le Concept de modele," 1969 - "Theorie du sujet," 1982 - "Peut-on penser la politique?", 1985 - "L'etre et l'evenement," 1988 - "Manifeste pour la philosophie," 1989 - "Le nombre des nombres," 1990 - "Conditions," 1992 - "L'ethique. Essai sur la conscience du Mal," 1993 - "Deleuze, la clameur de l'etre," 1997 - "Saint-Paul. La fondation de l'universalisme," 1997 ("Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism") - "Abrege de metapolitique," 1998 - "Court traite d'ontologie transitoire," 1998 - "Petit manuel d'inesthetique," 1998 - "Le siecle," 2005 - "Logiques des mondes"