Roland Barthes

Barthes photographed by Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1963.
Born	November 12, 1915(1915-11-12) Cherbourg, France
Died	March 26, 1980(1980-03-26) (aged 64) Paris, France

Roland Gérard Barthes (1915–1980) was a French literary theorist, philosopher, linguist, critic, and semiotician. His ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, social theory, anthropology and post-structuralism.

Life and work

Barthes at the time of the publication of Le Degré zéro de l’écriture, photographed by Robert David, 1953.

Roland Barthes was born in Cherbough, Manche. His father died in a naval battle in Barthes' infancy, forcing his mother to move to Bayonne. Barthes spent his early childhood there, until they moved to Paris in 1924 where he attended the Lycée Montagne, followed by studies at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand from 1930-34. Life became difficult for them when Barthes mother had an illegitimate child, for their grandparents refused to give her financial aid, and so she took work as a bookbinder. Barthes was able to continue his studies at the Sorbonne, in classical letters, grammar and philology (receiving a degrees in 1939 and 1943 respectively), and Greek tragedy.

Barthes' doctoral studies were hampered by ill health. He suffered from tuberculosis, spending time in sanatoriums in the years 1934-5 and 1942-46, during the occupation. He continued to read and write, established a theatrical group, and in spite of his condition, managed to teach at lycées in Biarritz (1939), Bayonne (1939-40), Paris (1942-46), at the French Institute, Bucharest, Romania (1948-49), University of Alexandria, Egypt (1949-50), and Direction Générale des Affaires Culturelles (1950-52). His teaching career expanded: research positions with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (1952-59), a directorship of studies at the École Practique des Hautes Étude (1960-76), a teacher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (1967-68), and a chair of literary semiology at Collège de France (1976 to 1980). [1]

Barthes died in 1980 at the age of 64 from injuries suffered after being struck by an automobile. Several posthumous collections of his writings have been published, including A Barthes Reader (1982), edited by his friend and admirer Susan Sontag, and Incidents (1987). [2]

Bibliography

Cover of Mythologies

Mythologies, 1957. Download.

Mythologies, 1972. Download.

Mitologías, 1980. (in Spanish) Download.

S/Z, 1974. Download.

Cover of Criticism and Truth

Image-Music-Text, 1977. Download.

Elements of Semiology, 1977. Download.

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, 1982. Download.

The Rustle of Language, 1989. Download.

(in French unless noted)

By Barthes

Monographs

• Le degré zéro de l'écriture, Paris: Seuil, 1953; 1972.
  • Writing Degree Zero, trans. Annette Lavers and Colin Smith, New York: Hill and Wang, 1977. (in English)
  • Romanul scriiturii. Antologie, trans. Adriana Babeţi and Delia Şepeţean-Vasiliu, Bucharest: Univers Publishing House, 1987. (in Romanian)
  • Gradul Zero al scriiturii. Noi eseuri critice, trans. Alex. Cistelcan, Cartier, 2006. (in Romanian)
• Mythologies, Paris: Seuil, 1957.
  • Mythologies, trans. Annette Lavers, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1972. (in English)
  • Mitologías, trans. Hector Schmucler, Madrid: Siglo XXI editores, s. a., 1980 .(in Spanish)
  • Mythen des Alltags. Vollständige Ausgabetrans, trans. Horst Brühmann, Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2010 (in German).
  • Mythologies: The Complete Edition, in a New Translation, trans. Richard Howard and Annette Lavers, New York: Hill and Wang; Tra edition, 2012 (in English) review.
• Sur Racine, Paris: Seuil, 1963.
• "Éléments de Sémiologie", Communications 4, 1964, pp 91-135; repr. as Eléments de sémiologie, Paris: Denoël/Gonthier, 1965. Excepts.
  • Elementos de semiología, trans. Alberto Méndez, Madrid: Alberto Corazón Editor, 1971. (in Spanish) [3].
  • Elementos de semiologia, trans. Izidoro Blikstein, São Paulo: Editôra Cultrix, 1971. (in Portuguese)
  • Elements of Semiology, trans. Annette Lavers and Colin Smith, New York: Hill and Wang, 1977. (in English)
• Critique et vérité, Paris: Seuil, 1966.
  • Criticism and Truth, trans. Katrine Pilcher Keuneman, The Athlone Press, 1987; London: Continuum, 2004. (in English)
• S/Z, Paris: Seuil, 1970.
  • S/Z, trans. Richard Miller, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1974. (in English)
• L' Empire des Signes, Paris: Skira, Paris, 1970.
  • Empire of Signs, trans. Richard Howard, New York: Hill and Wang, 1983.
  • Imperiul Semnelor, trans. Alex. Cistelecan, Cartier, 2007. (in Romanian)
• Sade/ Fourier/ Loyola, Paris: Seuil, 1971.
  • Sade, Fourier, Loyola, trans. Richard Miller, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1974, University of California Press, 1989. (in English)
• Le Plaisir du texte, Paris: Seuil, 1973.
  • The Pleasure of the Text, trans. Richard Miller, New York: Hill and Wang, 1975. (in English)[4]
  • El placer del texto, seguido por Lección inaugural, trans. Nicolás Rosa & Oscar Terán, México: Siglo XXI editores, 1974, 1982, 1993. (in Spanish)
  • Plăcerea textului. Roland Barthes despre Roland Barthes. Lecţia, trans. Marian Papahagi and Sorina Dănăilă, Cartier, 2006. (in Romanian)
• Essais Critiques, Paris: Seuil, 1973.
• Alors la Chine ?, Paris: Christian Bourgois, 1975.
• Roland Barthes par Roland Barthes, Paris: Seuil, 1975.
  • Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes, trans. Richard Howard, University of California Press, with New York: Hill and Wang, 1977, 188 pp. (in English)
• Image-Music-Text, ed. & trans. Stephen Heath, London: Fontana, 1977.
• Fragments d’un discours amoureux, Paris: Seuil, 1977.
  • A Lover's Discourse: Fragments, trans. Richard Howard, New York: Hill and Wang, 1978.
  • Fragmente dintr-un discurs îndrăgostit, trans. Sorina Dănăilă, Cartier, 2007 (in Romanian).
• Leçon, Paris: Seuil, 1978.
• Sollers, écrivain, Paris: Seuil, 1979.
• Nouveaux essais critiques, Paris: Seuil, 1980.
• Essais critiques IV: Le Bruissement de la langue, Paris: Seuil, 1980.
• La chambre claire: note sur la photographie, Paris: Gallimard/Seuil/Cahiers du Cinéma, 1980, 194 pp.
  • Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, trans. Richard Howard, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982, 119 pp.
  • A câmara clara: Nota sobre a fotografia, trans. Júlio Castañon Guimarães, 1984. (in Portuguese)
  • Ο φωτεινός θάλαμος: Σημειώσεις για τη φωτογραφία, trans. Γιάννης Κρητικός, 1984. (in Greek)
  • Világoskamra: Jegyzetek a fotográfiáról, trans. Ferch Magda, 1985. (in Hungarian)
  • La cámara lúcida: Nota sobre la fotografía, trans. Joaquim Sala-Sanahuja, 1990. (in Spanish)
  • La camera chiara: Nota sulla fotografia, trans. Renzo Guidieri, 1992. (in Italian)
  • Světlá komora: Vysvětlivka k fotografii, trans. Miroslav Petříček jr., 1994. (in Czech)
  • Camera Lucida: Комментарий_к_фотографии, trans. Михаил Рыклин, 1997. (in Russian)
  • Światło obrazu: Uwagi o fotografii, trans. Jacek Trznadel, 2008. (in Polish)

Other books

• with Tzvetan Todorov (et al.), L’analyse structurales du récit, "Communications", Numero 8, 1966.
  • El análisis estructural del relato, trans. Beatriz Dorriots, Buenos Aires: Tiempo Contemporáneo, 1970. (in Spanish)
• with Tzvetan Todorov (et al.), Le Vraisemblable, "Communications", Numero 11, 1968
  • Lo verosímil, trans. Beatriz Dorriots, Buenos Aires: Ed. Tiempo Contemporáneo, 1970. (in Spanish)

Books published posthumously

• Essais critiques, Paris: Seuil, 1981.
• Le Grain de la voix: Entretiens 1962-80, Paris: Seuil, 1981.
• L'obvie et l'obtus: essais critiques III, Paris: Seuil, 1982.
  • The Responsabily of Form. Critical Essays on Music, Art and Representation, trans. Richard Howard, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985. (in English)
  • Lo obvio y lo obtuso: imágenes, gestos, voces, Barcelona: Ediciones Paidos Iberica, S.A., 1986 (in Spanish).
• Le Bruissment De La Langue, Paris: Seuil, 1986.
  • The Rustle of Language, trans. Richard Howard, University of California Press, 1989. (in English)
• Incidents, Paris: Seuil, 1987.
  • Incidents, University of California Press, 1992. (in English)
  • Incidente, trans. Iolanda Vasiliu, Cartier, 2007 (in Romanian).
• Œuvres complètes, Paris: Seuil.
  • Tome I (1942-1965), 1993.
  • Tome II (1966-1973), 1994.
  • Tome III (1974-1980), 1995.
• Journal de deuil (1977-1979), Paris: Seuil/Imec, 2009. review.
  • Jurnal de doliu (26 octombrie 1977 - 15 septembrie 1979), trans. Em. Galaicu-Păun, Cartier, 2009. (in Romanian)

Selected Book chapters, Articles and Lectures

• "Le message photographique", Communications, 1:1 (1961), pp 127-138.
  • "The Photographic Message", trans. Stephen Heath, chap. in Image-Music-Text, New York: Hill and Wang, 1977; repr. in A Barthes Reader, ed. Susan Sontag, New York: Hill and Wang, 1982, pp 194-210. (in English)
• "Rhétorique de l'image", Communications 4:4 (1964), pp 40-51.
  • "Rhetoric of the Image", in Classic Essays on Photography, ed. Alan Trachtenberg, New Haven: Leete's Island Books, 1980, pp 269-285 [5]. (in English)
• "The Third Meaning: Research Notes on Several Eisenstein Stills", 1970; repr. as chap. in Image-Music-Text, New York: Hill and Wang, 1977, pp 44-68; repr. in The Responsibility of Forms: Critical Essays on Music, Art, and Representation, University of California Press, 1985. (in English) [6]
• "Le Neutre" ("The neutral: Lecture course at the College de France"), 1978. Audio recording.

On Barthes

Books

• Louis-Jean Calvet, Roland Barthes, un regard politique sur le signe, Paris: Payot, 1973.
• Colloque de Cérisy, Prétexte: Roland Barthes, Paris: Union générale d'éditions, 1978.
• George R. Wasserman, Roland Barthes, Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1981. (in English)
• Annette Lavers, Roland Barthes: Structuralism and After, London: Methuen, 1982. (in English)
• Jonathan Culler, Barthes (American Title: Roland Barthes). London: Fontana Modern Masters; New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. Revised and expanded edition, Roland Barthes: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2001. (in English)
• Réda Bensmaïa, The Barthes Effect: The Essay as Reflective Text, trans. Pat Fedkiew, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987. (in English)
• Louis-Jean Calvet, Roland Barthes 1915-1980, Paris: Flammarion, 1990.
  • Roland Barthes: A Biography, trans. Sarah Wykes, Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. (in English)
• Jean-Michel Rabaté (ed.), Writing the Image After Roland Barthes, University on Pensylvania Press, 1997. (in English)
• Allen Graham, Roland Barthes, London: Routledge, 2003. (in English)
• Jean-Claude Milner, El paso filosófico de Roland Barthes, Buenos Aires: Amorrortu, 2004. (in Spanish)
• Eric Marty, Roland Barthes, le métier d'écrire, Paris: Seuil, 2006. (in English)
• Margaret Iversen, Beyond Pleasure. Freud, Lacan, Barthes, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2007. (in English)
• Geoffrey Batchen, Photography Degree Zero: Reflections on Roland Barthes's Camera Lucida, The MIT Press, 2009. (in English)
• Lucy O’Meara, Roland Barthes at the Collège de France, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2012. (in English). Review.
• More.

Book chapters, Papers, Articles

• Susan Sontag, "Remembering Barthes", in Under the Sign of Saturn, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1980. (in English)
• Susan Sontag, "Writing Itself: On Roland Barthes", in A Barthes Reader, ed. Susan Sontag, New York: Hill and Wang, 1982.
• Alec McHoul, David Wills, "The Late(r) Barthes", Boundary 2 (Fall 1985/Winter 1986), pp 261-78. (in English)
• Margaret Iversen, "What Is A Photograph", Art History 17:3 (September 1994), pp 450-463. (in English)
• Kenneth S. Calhoon, "Personal Effects: Rilke, Barthes, and the Matter of Photography", The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. (in English)
• Meir Wigoder, "History Begins at Home. Photography and Memory in the Writings of Siegfried Kracauer and Roland Barthes", History and Memory 13:1 (2001). (in English)
• Jacques Derrida, "Roland Barthes. November 12, 1915 - March 26, 1980", in Jacques Derrida, The Work of Mourning, eds. Pascale-Anne Brault and Michael Naas, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001, pp 31-67. (in English)
• Tim Dant, Graeme Gilloch, "Pictures of the Past: Benjamin and Barthes on photography and history", in European Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 5 (1), 2002, pp 5-25. (in English)
• Margaret Olin, "Touching Photographs: Roland Barthes's 'Mistaken' Identification", Representations 80 (Autumn 2002), pp 99-118. (in English)
• Adam Lowenstein, "The Surrealism of the Photographic Image: Bazin, Barthes, and the Digital Sweet Hereafter", Cinema Journal 46:3, Spring 2007, pp. 54-82. (in English)
• Elizabeth Howie, "Photography's Courtly Desires: Jacques Lacan, Roland Barthes, and the Photographic Beloved", Chapel Hill, 2007. Ph.D. Dissertation. (in English)
• Ricardo García Murillo, "Entre el estructuralismo y su post: modelos de significación en Roland Barthes", Tales 2 (2009), pp 119-128 (in Spanish).
• Sebastian Boţic, "Semnalul fotografic. O analiză în marginea teoriei semiotice în fotografie", Idei in Dialog 12:63 (December 2009). (in Romanian)

Bibliographies

• At EGS

External links

• Barthes in Ubu Sound
• Barthes in Britannica Online
• Barthes at Wikipedia
• L'oeuvre de Roland Barthes
• Barthes in French and Russian