Encounters: A Philosophy

Original title: La rencontre, une philosophie

Author: Pépin, Charles

Publication Date:

January 2021

Pages:

272

Original language and publisher

French | Allary Editions

Territories Handled

Worldwide excl. French

Territories Sold

Germany (Carl Hanser Verlag)
Romania (Trei)
Brazil (Editora Estação Liberdade)
Italy (Garzanti, pre-empt)
South Korea (Daewon)
Netherlands (Noordboek)
Arabic (Le Centre Culturel Arabe)
Spanish (World) (Ediciones Siruela)

Genres

Essay, Personal Development, Philosophy

Foreign Covers

 Cover
Daewon
 Cover
Trei
 Cover
Ediciones Siruela

Encounters: A Philosophy

Original title: La rencontre, une philosophie

Author: Pépin, Charles

Synopsis

“True to his method, the author sets out in search of the encounter and muses over what makes it essential. A beautiful stroll through that which brings flavor to our lives.” Christilla Pellé-Douël, Psychologies Magazine

“Always positive thinking, turned towards others, which seeks the admiration of the world rather than the criticism of people, drawing on examples known to all and on a fluid writing, immediately intelligible.”J-R Van Der Plaetsen, Le Figaro Magazine

“Charles Pépin likes to go from a Britney Spears concert to an aphorism by Nietzsche. A modern, easy-to-access form of general culture: it’s a hit.”Quentin Girard, Libération

“A real breath of fresh air in these times of isolation.”Florence Trède, Elle

“We can read Encounters: A Philosophy with great benefit: it’s really great! “Ali Rebeihi, France Inter

“An exciting and relevant essay. Illustrious examples to support him, he reminds us that encounters are essential and allows you to expand your life. “Catherine Durand, Marie Claire

“Charles Pépin, always desiring to make philosophy accessible to all, suggests that we rethink the encounter in the light of knowledge of oneself, of the other and of the world around us. “Marie-Ève Brisson, Causette

“A book of practical philosophy recommended in these troubled times. Always so enlightening and luminous, Charles Pépin definitely has something sunny in his way of approaching the other and the world. “ — Librairie du 5ème art

After his international bestsellers THE VIRTUES OF FAILURE and SELF-CONFIDENCE, Charles Pépin is back with a new practical philosophy essay.

Lovers, friends, colleagues: human beings can not live fully without relationships with others. While encounters are crucial to our lives, there are no veritable books of philosophy devoted to the theme, aside from a little-known text by Martin Buber, I and Thou.

What are the signs of a true encounter? Under what conditions can we make ourselves available, leave ourselves open to the unexpected and the dizzying mysteries of an encounter? How can we break free of the prison of our convictions? How can we liberate ourselves from our fear of losing control in order to meet and be truly fulfilled with the other, thanks to the other?

At the core of our existence − which comes from the Latin ex-sistere “come out of oneself” − there is a movement, the need to step outside the self to go towards the other; encountering the other is how we truly come to exist. Thus every true encounter is an encounter with the other, with oneself, with life and life’s very movement.

From Plato to Buber via Hegel and Bachelard, Charles Pépin mobilizes the resources of classical philosophy to enable us to discover the true stakes of encounters, and how to achieve that grace. He does it by analyzing famous and fruitful encounters (Picasso and Éluard, David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and more), and characters and situations from classic literature (Anna Karenina, Belle du Seigneur, The Game of Love and Chance, and others), as well as examples from our hyper-connected daily lives

Marketing Information

  • 80,000 copies sold
  • Under option: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, Turkey, Albania

Foreign Covers

 Cover
Daewon
 Cover
Trei
 Cover
Ediciones Siruela