The Wind Spirit: An Autobiography

This powerful yet graceful intellectual autobiography by one of France's leading writers was first published in 1977 but only now appears in English. Employing a simple, concrete style that belies the subtlety of his thought, Tournier describes his traumatic childhood in a ``fiercely antiphysical society,'' his adolescence during the Nazi occupation, his postwar (and lifelong) love affair with German philosophy, the metaphysical underpinnings of his prize-winning novels, The Ogre and Friday , and his study of the psychology of twins. Mixed in with this narrative are often profound reflections on such themes as the great philosophers, especially Leibniz; the mythic dimension of Robinson Crusoe ; the distinction between Socialism and Communism; and the symbolism of the island and the garden. Much of the book's excitement comes from its power to make readers rethink their assumptions. (Nov.)