Dutch and Flemish writers have a strong tendency to explain rather than write original philosophical thought. Een verlangen naar ontroostbaarheid. Over leven, kunst en dood is a volume which collects a number of essays about Blanchot, Wittgenstein and Freud describing and explaining what is mostly well known to well-educated readers. These essays were all written in 1993, the year in which they were also collected and published in book form. They are complemented by a number of shorter essays about literature, which were originally published between 1986 and 1988. This loose structure, and varied content, makes for a book which lacks focus and unity. The essays and contributions to this book are of little interest, neither separately, nor in book form. ( )

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