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Books

Postmodernist Porn

Peter King reviews Libidinal Economy by Jean-Francois Lyotard.

I ought to begin by stating two things which this book is not. Firstly it is not a new book. It was originally published in France as Economie Libidinale in 1974 and has only now been translated into English (with financial help from the French Ministry of Culture!) Secondly, it is certainly not an easy work. Indeed it is an extremely difficult and at times almost incomprehensible one. This is nothing to do with the translator (although his glossary and introduction can hardly be called helpful) but is rather due to the style and procedure adopted by the author himself.

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