Originally known for his ground-breaking work in literary theory, the Bulgarian-born French thinker Tzvetan Todorov is now firmly established as one of the wold’s foremost cultural critics.
A true son of the Enlightenment, he both defends our fundamental values and questions our deepest certainties. His critical interventions cover an astounding range of topics, from narratology to anti-Semitism, from painting to politics, and from history to current affairs.
Todorov addresses highly complex intellectual and social challenges with lucidity and equanimity, yet without avoiding controversial issues such as Islamic fundamentalism, the war in Iraq, and the International Criminal Court.
The colloquium explored the variety of domains encompassed by Todorov’s intellectual activity, focussing on four topics in particular: critical humanism and the legacy of the Enlightenment; totalitarianism and democracy; the role of the intellectual in the 21st century; literature and the humanities.