"Parages" brings together four essays by Derrida on the fictions of Maurice Blanchot. Three of the essays--"Living On," "Title To Be Specified," and "The Law of Genre," are by now canonical. The fourth, ""Pa"ce Not("s")" as well as Derrida's 1986 introduction to the French edition of the book, appear here in English for the first time. This was a breakthrough publication in the analysis of Blanchot, a notoriously difficult writer. It is safe to say Derrida contributed much to that writer's reputation in both French and English, always insisting on the philosophical pertinence of Blanchot's work to any discussion of the relationship between literature and critical thought. Through patient citation, and an ample collocation and readings of Blanchot's various motifs, Derrida explores a variety of questions, including the limits of genre, the procedure of crossing out, and the evocation of a non-dialectical and non-privative negativity. The book marks a crucial stage in Derrida's itinerary and provides a context for his later writings on apophatics in such works as "On the Name" (SUP, 1995) and his response to Heidegger on death in "Aporias" (SUP, 1993).

Tom Lord, Vice President of the American Broadcasters Association has gone through a wretched divorce after thirty years of marriage. As he tries to rebuild his life, he finds himself out of touch with the changed and changing world of women. They have become independent, assertive, ambitious and sexually uninhibited. He tries to overcome loneliness and depression while coping with the greatest tragedy of his life. After several liaisons with diverse members of the new generation . . . Lousia, who is recently divorced; Claire, a Capitol Hill swinger; Heather, a co-worker, who may be his boss, and Diana, the woman of his dreams . . . or is she? . . . Then he faces a dilemma: his life changes because of a surprising new development.