Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari

In May 1968, Gilles Deleuze was an established philosopher teaching at the innovative Vincennes University, just outside of Paris. Felix Guattari was a political militant and director of an unusual psychiatric clinic at La Borde. Their meeting was unlikely, and the two were introduced in an arranged encounter of epic consequence. From that moment on, Deleuze and Guattari engaged in a surprising, productive partnership, collaborating on several groundbreaking works, including Anti-Oedipus, What Is Philosophy? and A Thousand Plateaus.

The 'intertwined' biography of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari bears all the traits of Francois Dosse's previous work. It is scrupulously researched, written with verve, adroit and responsible in its handling of complex philosophical issues, and filled with hitherto unpublished details about the lives of its subjects and the often tempestuous events that surrounded them throughout their careers. An impressive and important study. -- Ronald Bogue, University of Georgia What is most striking in Francois Dosse's dual biography is how utterly different are these two men--not only in their academic training but also in their styles of thought, temperament, social habits, and modes of political engagement. One gets the sense that their collaboration is rich precisely because they are able to work with these differences and continually set them into play, all the while maintaining the utmost respect for and fascination with each other. -- Michael Hardt, coauthor of Empire; Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire; and Commonwealth

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Betwixt or BetweenPart I. Folds: Parallel Biographies1. Félix Guattari: The Psychopolitical Itinerary, 1930–19642. La Borde: Between Myth and Reality3. Daily Life at La Borde4. Testing Critical Research Empirically5. Gilles Deleuze: The Hero's Brother6. The Art of the Portrait7. Nietzsche, Bergson, Spinoza: A Trio for a Vitalist Philosophy8. An Ontology of Difference9. The Founding Rupture: May 1968Part II. Unfolding: Intersecting Lives10. "Psychoanalysm" Under Attack11. Anti-Oedipus 12. Machine Against Structure13. "Minor" Literature as Seen by Deleuze and Guattari14. A Thousand Plateaus : A Geophilosophy of Politics15. The CERFI at Work16. The "Molecular Revolution": Italy, Germany, France17. Deleuze and Foucault: A Philosophical Friendship18. An Alternative to Psychiatry?19. Deleuze at Vincennes20. The Year of Combat: 1977Part III. Surplices: 1980–200721. Guattari Between Culture and Ecology22. Deleuze Goes to the Movies23. Guattari and Aesthetics: Consolation During the Winter Years24. Deleuze Dialogues with Creation25. An Artist Philosophy26. Winning Over the West27. Around the World28. Two Deaths29. Their Work at Work30. ConclusionNotesIndex