Counterpath

Traveling with Jacques Derrida

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by Catherine Malabou and Jacques Derrida,

Translated by David Wills

Stanford University Press

Due/Published June 2004, 336 pages, paper

ISBN 0804740410

Counterpath is a collaborative work by Catherine Malabou and Jacques Derrida that answers to the gamble inherent in the idea of "travelling with" the philosopher of deconstruction. Malabou's readerly text of quotations and commentary demonstrates how Derrida's work, while appearing to be anything but a travelogue, is nevertheless replete with references to geographical and topographical locations; and that it functions as a kind of counter-Odyssey through meaning, theorizing and thematizing notions of arrival, drifting, derivation, and catastrophe. In fact, by going straight to the heart of the Derridean idea of "spacing," she finally makes it seem as though Derrida has never written about anything but travel. Malabou's text is punctuated by a series of postcards received by Derrida from destinations such as Istanbul and Porto, Laguna Beach and Athens, which are inspired by his reading of her evolving discussion. Writing in a familiar and unguarded manner, as if he were "on vacation" from his own writing, Derrida still remains totally faithful to that work and invites the reader to reflect on much of what haunts his texts as well as his daily life, questions of distance and death, the relation to the other, and exile.

Series: Cultural Memory in the Present

Review

Though Derrida rarely explicitly addresses the theme of travel, Catherine Malabou views the idea of travel as integral to his work. Malabou’s creative readings examine specific instances in Derrida’s writings that touch upon and explore the notions of travel, drifting, arrival, and voyages. Moreover, the physical act of travel has also informed Derrida’s life and writing. As an internationally-known philosopher, Derrida is constantly traveling the world, giving lectures and encountering new people and experiences. Malabou writes, “A permanent displacement is what motivates each book or lecture, bearing witness also to the reality of an involvement in thinking that uproots the researcher and writer, implicating him in a constant timelag, between one continent and another, one country and another, one language and another.” Counterpath is thus much more than an interpretation of Derrida’s work; though it succeeds splendidly on that score, it also considers his background and experiences in foreign lands. We read about Derrida’s childhood in Algeria as a French Jew, his early encounters in the United States, his brief time in a Prague jail, and other adventures on the road. Counterpath also includes Derrida’s cards and letters to Malabou while awaiting and then reading her writing for Counterpath. Much like Hélène Cixous’s Portrait of Jacques Derrida as a Young Jewish Saint (also published in 2004), Counterpath is a collaborative work between Derrida and his interpreter that examines the evolving philosophical ideas and experiences that shape his work and their relationship to his life.