Author: Thierry Hentsch: Translated by: Fred A. Reed

ISBN: 0889225095
ISBN: 978-0-88922-509-1

Before leaving the world to join the eternal spirit, the late Thierry Hentsch gifted the western literature a book of literary criticism, history, and philosophy that is rich in meaning and universal codes of the human existence as recorded in the western literary traditions of our planet. Translated by Fred A. Reed, Truth or Death (Talon Books, Canada, 2004) analyzes full circle the theme of death and immortality as it evolved through centuries of western narrative traditions from Homeric epics to Augustine and all the way to Rene Descartes. The essence of the book draws its definition by underscoring the importance of a limited lifetime in the universe.

Truth or Death has undertaken the arduous task of singling out the greatest texts from the myriads of western narratives in order to demonstrate how the collective self-image has been carved into the conscious and unconscious of the West. For lovers of serious literature, Hentsch’s book gives a new meaning to the experience of reading itself as the medium that keeps meaning alive in our lives and connects us to our past. At the same time, the book brings to comparison the two most important modes of expressing meanings i.e. narrative and philosophy. While its own style is poised more on the rationalistic front, Truth or Death nucleates all meanings of ‘eternity’ in storytelling. After all, that is where the roots of immortality lie. The greater freedom of interpretation associated with a story is the base of the book’s quest for the truth of existence and perishing.

To assess the practical worth of Truth or Death for all readers of serious literature, it will be most inviting to turn to the author’s afterword, where he wrote: ‘…it is with the conviction that our narrative heritage-so rich in its ignored wealth-is more than worth reading, and rereading’. Chances are that the great stories Thierry Hentsch has referred to will darn new meanings in the light of our author’s genius.  

The above review was contributed by: Ernest Dempsey,  pen name of Karim Khan from Pakistan is a Research Associate in Geology writes fiction, nonfiction, and book reviews. To read more of Karim's Review CLICK HERE