Rainer Rochlitz's Complete Critique Writings Published Posthumously

Three volumes collecting Rainer Rochlitz's complete contributions to the journal Critique from 1977 to 2002 have been published by Éditions la Lettre volée under the title 'Le vif de la critique'. Rochlitz died nearly nine years ago, and his earlier books had partially obscured the breadth of his intellectual engagement. The volumes cover his writings on Walter Benjamin, aesthetics and philosophy of art, and contemporary philosophy. Rochlitz was a major contributor to Critique and a key figure in philosophical discussion, known for his translations of Habermas and his insistence on the public, normative dimension of art and criticism. The collection restores the context of his published work within the debates that shaped it. Pierre Rusch contributes a preface. The texts demonstrate Rochlitz's vigilance against 'bad reasons' for admiring Benjamin and his engagement with analytical philosophy and pragmatism. The publication is presented as a work in progress, maintaining the vigor of his questioning despite his death.