Book description
From the Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004) and Academy Award-nominated Adaptation (2002) to the cult classic
Being John Malkovich (1999), writer Charlie Kaufman is widely admired
for his innovative, philosophically resonant films. Although he only
recently made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York (2008),
most fans and critics refer to “Kaufman films” the way they would
otherwise discuss works by directors Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, or
the Coen brothers. Not only has Kaufman transformed our sense of what
can take place in a film, but he also has made a significant impact on
our understanding of the role of the screenwriter. The Philosophy of
Charlie Kaufman, edited by David LaRocca, is the first collection of
essays devoted to a rigorous philosophical exploration of Kaufman's work
by a team of capable and critical scholars from a wide range of
disciplines. From political theorists to philosophers, classicists to
theologians, professors of literature to filmmakers, the contributing
authors delve into the heart of Kaufman's innovative screenplays,
offering not only original philosophical analyses but also extended
reflections on the nature of film and film criticism. David LaRocca is
coordinating producer and consulting editor of the ongoing documentary
film project The Intellectual Portrait Series, author of On Emerson, and
editor of Stanley Cavell's Emerson's Transcendental Etudes. He lives in
New York.
