Herald of a Restless World

From perfumed ladies to the end-of-life mud baths, this beautifully written book tells the story of a seemingly unassuming, bowler-hatted Frenchman, whose philosophy would sweep the world. Its profound ideas - evolution, consciousness, time - are explored with depth and humour in a way that is, appropriately, creative and new. Herring has captured the magic and the mystique of Bergson – Emily Thomas, author of THE MEANING OF TRAVELHenri Bergson thought nothing could be learned about a philosopher’s ideas by studying their life. Herring proves him very wrong in this engaging biography of the Parisian thinker who accidentally became an international celebrity – Nigel Warburton, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHYWith flair and verve, Herring unveils the life and philosophy of the enchanting and trailblazing icon of change and creativity: Henri Bergson. The result is a fascinating biography and magnificent revival of this brilliant thinker who was once the most influential philosopher in the world. Herring’s beautifully compelling narrative shows how Bergson’s ideas still hold the power to illuminate the human experience and the meaning of life – Skye Cleary, author of HOW TO BE AUTHENTICThanks to Herring, Bergson is back - and it’s about time – Matthew Sweet, broadcaster and authorInsightful … a much-needed reintroduction of Bergson to English-language readers – Wall Street JournalThe most intellectually stimulating book I read this year … Bergsonism is definitely due a revival – John Banville, New Statesman, Books of the YearSensitive and compelling – TLSLively and deft – New York TimesIn the early 20th century, the French philosopher Henri Bergson enjoyed a cult following on both sides of the Atlantic as a result of his romantic theory of time and his arguments in favor of intuition over intellect. Herring’s vivid, graceful biography tries to explain what all the fuss was about, and why Bergson’s fame vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared – New York TimesA good primer on his ideas, which are needed more than ever, Ms Herring argues, at a time when intelligent machines are becoming more powerful – The EconomistFascinating and lively … [Herring] has a genius for condensing complex philosophical and scientific postulates into digestible bites … splendid – The Nation

Emily Herring is a writer based in Paris. She studied philosophy at the Sorbonne and received her PhD in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Leeds. Her work has appeared in the TLS and Aeon.