Julia Kristeva, herself a product of the famous May 1968 Paris student uprising, has long been fascinated by the concepts of rebellion and revolution. But is it still possible to build and nurture a culture of revolt in today’s world? In this book, Kristeva examines the manner in which three of the most unsettling modern writers—Louis Aragon, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Roland Barthes—affirmed their personal rebellions. She then ponders the future of rebellion, maintaining not only that political revolt is mired in compromise but also that an essential component of European culture—a culture of doubt and criticism—is losing its moral and aesthetic force.

"[An] important, interdisciplinary tour de force." - Library Journal

"The reader will encounter in these pages the literary music of allusive, profound passages that uniquely characterize the expression of Kristeva's thoughts." - Choice

"Kristeva’s work is an intricate mix of cultural criticism and psychoanalysis. . . . [Her] comments on patriotism, nationalism, hospitality, and cosmopolitanism are politically astute and ethically humanist." - Philosophy in Review