Volume 8, Tome I: Kierkegaard's International Reception - Northern and Western Europe (Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources)

Although Kierkegaard's reception was initially more or less limited to Scandinavia, it has for a long time now been a highly international affair. As his writings were translated into different languages his reputation spread, and he became read more and more by people increasingly distant from his native Denmark. While in Scandinavia, the attack on the Church in the last years of his life became something of a cause célèbre, later, many different aspects of his work became the object of serious scholarly investigation well beyond the original northern borders. As his reputation grew, he was co-opted by a number of different philosophical and religious movements in different contexts throughout the world. The three tomes of this volume attempt to record the history of this reception according to national and linguistic categories. Tome I covers the reception of Kierkegaard in Northern and Western Europe. The articles on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland can be said to trace Kierkegaard's influence in its more or less native Nordic Protestant context. Since the authors in these countries (with the exception of Finland) were not dependent on translations or other intermediaries, this represents the earliest tradition of Kierkegaard reception. The early German translations of his works opened the door for the next phase of the reception which expanded beyond the borders of the Nordic countries. The articles in the section on Western Europe trace his influence in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Flanders, Germany and Austria, and France. All of these countries and linguistic groups have their own extensive tradition of Kierkegaard reception. Although Kierkegaard's reception was initially more or less limited to Scandinavia, it has for a long time now been a highly international affair. As his writings were translated into different languages his reputation spread, and he became read more and more by people increasingly distant from his native Denmark. While in Scandinavia, the attack on the Church in the last years of his life became something of a cause celebre, later, many different aspects of his work became the object of serious scholarly investigation well beyond the original northern borders. As his reputation grew, he was co-opted by a number of different philosophical and religious movements in different contexts throughout the world. The three tomes of this volume attempt to record the history of this reception according to national and linguistic categories. Tome III is the most geographically diverse, covering the Near East, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The section on the Near East features pioneering articles on the Kierkegaard reception in Israel, Turkey, Iran and the Arab world. The next section dubbed Asia and Australia features articles on the long and rich traditions of Kierkegaard research in Japan and Korea along with the more recent ones in China and Australia. A final section is dedicated to Americas with articles on Canada, the United States, hispanophone South America, Mexico and Brazil Cover Half Title Title Copyright Contents List of Contributors Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations PART I NORTHERN EUROPE Denmark: The Permanent Reception—150 Years of Reading Kierkegaard Norway: “You Have No Truth Onboard!” Kierkegaard’s Influences on Norway Sweden: Kierkegaard’s Reception in Swedish Philosophy, Theology, and Contemporary Literary Theory Finland: The Reception of Kierkegaard in Finland Iceland: “Neglect and Misunderstanding”: The Reception of Kierkegaard in Iceland PART II WESTERN EUROPE Great Britain: From “Prophet of the Now” to Postmodern Ironist (and after) The Netherlands and Flanders: Kierkegaard’s Reception in the Dutch-Speaking World Germany and Austria: A Modest Head Start: The German Reception of Kierkegaard France: Kierkegaard as a Forerunner of Existentialism and Poststructuralism Index of Persons Index of Subjects