Slavoj Žižek’s book tour gets
a serious interruption at Cooper Union.
October 15, 2009, 7:36 AM GMT
From philosopher and culture
critic Slavoj Žižek's personal site:
Slavoj Žižek, dubbed the ‘most
dangerous philosopher in the west’ by The New Republic, was rudely cut short by a bomb scare
as he spoke to an audience of 800 at Cooper Union last night. Expounding
on his new book, First as
Tragedy, Then as Farce, Žižek was forced by police to round up his talk and
exit the Great Hall along with his hundreds of fans.
Amid the kerfuffle outside
Cooper Union as police and security guards made efforts to get stragglers out
of the building—several refused to be torn away from a bookstall inside selling
copies of Žižek’s numerous books—the
renowned Slovenian philosopher continued his talk for a time, signing copies of
his newly launched book.
First as Tragedy, Then as
Farce is a call for the Left to reinvent itself in the light of our desperate
historical situation. And in the aftermath of last night’s bomb threat, one
line in particular from the book’s jacket is worth noting:
The time for liberal,
moralistic blackmail is over.
Unfazed by yesterday’s
interruption, Slavoj Žižek can be heard on today’s Democracy Now, speaking to Amy Goodman.
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