ud Bo noe 30 * t- The French pre ssran mean beth th wil o know Tage and uoowedee a seer Nits, De. 5 + Nistsche, und ond nd no. 39 Nicache, Do, 0.48. What Is an Author? “The coming into being ofthe notion of “author” constitutes the priieged moment of muslin in the history of ie, Enowiedge erstee, phowophy, andthe sciences, Even to day, when we reconstrt the story of aconcept rary nse, far School of philosophy, such eatogoves seem relatively Weak, Secondary, ad supernspsed seansions in comparison withthe tole and fandamental oto the author ard the work Tahal novafer ere a social analy ofthe authors persona, Certainly would be worth examining how the author became individualized in actu ike oor, what satus he bas been given what moment studies of authenticity and at Dati began a what hind of system of valorization the author was lnvolved, at that polnt me began to recouat the ves of Authors rather than of Reroes, and how ths fundamental cate- [poy of “themamand-hirwork cam” began. For the mo ‘ent, however, [want dal aly wi the eleenhip been Text and author and with the manner in which the text pints to this "igure” that atleast in appeacanc, is outside Stand ntscedes i ‘Becket nicely formulates he theme with which woul ie tobogine "What docsitmatir whois speaking” someone sid ‘what does it mater who i apecking’” In this indifference appears one ofthe fundamental etal prindples of conten: otary writing (eur). say “ethical” because ths indifference no eally stat characterizing the mannerin which one speaks nd writes, bat rather» Kind of immanent rl, ake up over Sd over again, never fully applied, not dsigasting wating 35 Semetung completed, but dominating a5 8 practice. Since it 1S to fama to require a lengthy anv, this immanent rule can be adequately dusted hereby tang two of 8 mae themes io102 - Tat and Metis Fst of lwo can ay that todays wing his red self from the diension of expression Refering only fo ae, but thou being restricted othe confine of fotos, wing Isidentfed witht own unfolded esteroty. ‘This means hat Hen interpiay of signe arranged lee acordng tos sid Content than actording tothe very nakre a the igalers Wat Ingold ke «game Ge) that aay goes beyond town rules and tansgresoes sits. wing the pot not 0 Ian or exit he a of wing nor 61 pi 2 ‘thin innguape: iis, rather, a aueston of eeting tape nto ‘which the wring abject conta dteppears The second theme, wits lationship with death, even rors familay. Ths lnk subverts an ld tradition exmpisied by the Greek epic, which wae intended to perpeuste the im ‘ora of the hero: if he was wing to ce young, wa 39 that his fe, consecrated and apres by dest might post ito immoraliys the narrative then redeemed this sceped ted the preter of Aran narratives sch a Te Thvstnd and One Nigk—wvas also the euaing of est one spake telling oie into the cacy morning. in onde to fren ath 10 Pestpone the day of veckoning that would silence the narsin Echeerarade'snarative a efor, renewed each righ 10 esp death outside the cle of le, ‘Our culture has mecamorphose ths es of narrative, 0 verng, a something designe to ward off death Weighs Become inked to saci, even tthe src fife: mow 1 voluntary effacement which does ot eed tobe represented inooks, since itis rought about inthe wie’ wey existence “The work, which once had the duty of providing lmmoraly, ‘ov posteses the right to kl to be author's murderer, 88 {nthe case of Flaubor, Prous, and Kafka, That ie no all bowever: tis retonship between wring and death i also ‘anise inthe effacement ofthe wring subject's inva Characteristics. Using all the cootrivances tha he ae up be foveen himself an what he writes, the iting subject camels ‘ut the signs of his particular mavdunity. "Av a real the ‘hark ofthe wre seduced o nothing sure than the sing Iai of his absence; he must assume the role af the dead man in the game of wating "None of thei recent; critica and phosophy took note ofthe disappearance or death--af the author some te ago. Bat the consequences of then discovery of i have not been fufcenly examined, nor hae its por be accurately meas fred. A evan number of notons that are itended 1 replace the puvieged postion of the author actualy Seem lo preserve that privege and rapes the real meaning of his disappear fncer T shal exmine bo ofthese notions eth of gest ine portance day “The fet the Kes ofthe work. 1 in very faa thesis thatthe task of ets ie not to Bring out the work's velaton- hips with the author, nor to reconstruct Ueough the fet 3 thought or experience, but rather to analyze the work theough its structure, fe architecture itn form, an the play of its imernal ‘lationships. At this point, however, problem tise: What i a work? What is this curious unify which ve Sesignate as 2 work? Of what elezpents is composed? i fot what an author hae writen? Diffclies sppear immed sy. Ila indica! were not an author, could we sy that shat he woe, silt Bein in hs papers or what hasbeen Collected of his remark, could be call "work"? When Sale ‘wasnot considered an author, what vaste satu of hs papers? ‘Were they simply soll of paper onto which he ceaselessly un cle bl fantasies during his mpesonenent “Even when an individual has bron accepted 3s an author, we must sill eck wether everything that he seote, sid or elt Tehind spare of his work. The prem is both theoretical and technica When undertaking the publeation of Nieusche's trotks, forename, whee should one stop? Surly everything {rust be published, but whats “everyting”? Everything tht [isteach himest pobahed, cetaily. And what about the gh drafts for his ors? Obviously The plans fr is apho- risma? Yes. The deleted passages and the noes atthe botom ‘tthe page? Yes. What within a workbook led with apo Sms, ine a reference, the notation of a meeting ot ofa dress ora laundry Bet lita work, or not? Why RoR And.on, a infinitum. Hove can one define a work amid the tllons of aces et by someone after his death? A theory of the work does not exist, and the empinca ask of those who naively undertake the eng of works often sulfere in the ab sence of sucha theory ‘We could go ever further Does The Tsun anal One Nights ‘onsttte 4 work? What about Clement of Aleanda'®s ie lanes or Diogenes Laetus's Lives? A mulude of questions Soe with regard to this notion ofthe ark Consequety, I isnot enough fo declare that we should do without the wrier (the author) and stay the work tact The word work and the tniy that it designates are probaly ax problomstc asthe sts ofthe authors inva, TAnother notion which hae hindesed us fom taking fll measure ofthe author's disappearance, Surring and concealing the moment of thin ellcement and sb preserving the 4 ‘her's eustence, js Use notion of wring rte). When Fg ‘roy app thie notion ould allow us ont rauvent feterence tothe author, but also to state he recent absence ‘Thenoton of wring, a curently employed i concerned with nether the ect of wang nor the indvation—be symptom OF ‘ign-—of a meaning ehh someone might have wanted to ex press, Wetty. with great ofr, tolmaginethe ever condition ‘teach tet te conlton of Bath the space in hihi is ie persed and the ime in which fol Tn cirtent usage, however, the notion of writing seems twanspose the emparcal characters of the author nto 3a scendenfal anonymity. Weare content else the more visible ‘marks ofthe auther'sempisity by paying of, one against the ther, two mays of characterizing wnt namely the cea] nd the religous approaches. Giving writing primal ats coms tobe a way of retanaating in rancercerta terms both the theological aati of it Sacred character and the ea] affirmation of is erative character To ade hat wring because ofthe very history that it made possible, subject to the tes of oblivion and repression, seems to represent, in teansce enc tenns, te rlsous pipe ofthe hidden meaning (which requlzes interpretation) and he rc principle of mpl 9 ‘ifcaons, sent determinations nd obscured content whith ives tise to commentary). Toimapine witing a absence seems fo'be a simple epeiion, in transcendental tems, of Both the Fetpious prlncile of inaerabe snd ye never flied waditon, End the sertetepinipe ofthe works survival its perpen tion beyond the author death, and its enigmatic exes in te Inton to fim "Tis usage ofthe notion af writing runs the risk of main taining the auto's priloges under the protection of waiting s pr slats it Heep alive, in the ray light of neutralization, {He interplay ofthe representations that formed a particular Image of the suthor. The authors disappearance, which, since Natlrmé, has been a constantly eecureng event is subject 108 feview of (anscendentn borers. Thete sce tobe aa impor. {ant dividing line between those who believe that they can stl locate todays dacontnutes (ruptures) inthe bistovico-transcen- ‘lena action ofthe nineteenth century, ane those who tr 10 free themselves once and for ll am tat waiton. ‘tis nat enough, however, repeat te cmp alemation tht the uthrhas dapper Pore same eto is ete {ohcoprepening he Niche) thet God and man have ded ‘tmon death stead, we mst ote he space lt empty ithe authors diapperace, flow the dstebuton of ope ta beach ad fo the openings thats dssppese in we need to casi bt the problems asin om these othe nltorename. What nan ator ae? How thet fannt Tat rom og cht shal on ditate some othe dein that presenta “Theatr ames proper name, nd therfore ass the probleme common toa proper names. [ere | reer to ‘Stadesanlyen smog her) Obes one canna rn proper nome nos pare and spe reference. Ih ler ince non mea nent e+ {tnger pointed at someone, tthe equa of 9 deveripton ‘When ane says “Ansa” one employs a word tht i he euler of ne, or sees of dente desapsons, sich as She author of te aa te founder of ontology” 29d