Simone Weil

Robert Chenavier, Agrege and Doctor of Philosophy, is the author of Simone Weil, Une philosophie du travail. He is president of the Association pour L'Etude de la Pensee de Simone Weil, director of the Cahiers Simone Weil, and chair of Simone Weil Edito, the group charged with the preparation of the Oeuvres completes at Editions Gallimard. Bernard E. Doering is professor emeritus of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Notre Dame. His translation of Jean-Luc Barre's Jacques and Raissa Maritain: Beggars for Heaven (University of Notre Dame Press, 2005) won two national awards.

"This is an excellent introduction to the thought of Simone Weil. Chenavier understands Weil as a philosopher and in one hundred pages is able to give a succinct presentation of her, from her earliest writings to her extraordinary later ones. This sophisticated presentation can serve both as an introduction to Weil for the nonspecialist and as an introduction to Chenavier's own take on Weil for the reader who knows Weil and is interested in Chenavier's contribution." -Eric O. Springsted, president, American Weil Society "Bernard Doering has crafted a very fine translation of Robert Chenavier's comprehensive but brief introduction to Simone Weil's philosophical project. It provides an excellent English introduction to the social philosophy of Simone Weil with due attention to her understanding of the importance of work in learning to attend to the real. Doering's translation will be of interest to both a religious and secular readership, both inside and outside the academy." -Lawrence Schmidt, University of Toronto "Bernard Doering's translation of Robert Chenavier's Simone Weil: Attention to the Real makes this unusually concise and authoritative introduction to the thought of Simone Weil available in English . . . this brief essay, which is the fruit of a rigorous and sustained engagement with Weil's work, provides a dense and coherent introduction to Weil's philosophy, and manages to unify the diverse strands that make up this unique intellectual trajectory." -International Journal for Philosophy of Religion "Having been given a central thread to trace through Weil, one is better equipped to apply her insights to other scholarly work. Simone Weil: Attention to the Real is not an introduction as much as it is a platform from which one can independently dig deeper into Weil's life and thought. Along with philosophers, environmentalists, ethicists and political thinkers may find this book a valuable addition to their Weil collection." -Journal for Peace and Justice Studies "For those somewhat acquainted with Weil's work or in possession of an introduction . . . Chenavier's book could be very valuable in representing Weil's intellectual and spiritual project as organized and focused. It succeeds in structuring her work around two big ideas: work and the spiritual." -Theology "Robert Chenavier gives us in fewer than one hundred pages a wonderful chronological introduction to Weil's thought. . . . The book will inspire more writing on Weil's thought . . . [and] help in the preservation of the important contributions to twentieth century philosophy. This book is highly recommended for all academic libraries." -Catholic Library World "Along with philosophers, environmentalists, ethicists and political thinkers may find this book a valuable addition to their Weil collection." -Journal for Peace and Justice Studies