Les régimes totalitaires, l'extrême institutionnalisé, l'Homme face à l'extrême mais l'Homme face à lui même aussi. Todorov procède dans cette étude à une autopsie de l'expérience humaine de tous les acteurs des camps totalitaires. Il y invite nos sociétés à une reconsidération profonde de la conception et de la perception moderne de la morale à la lumière de cette mise à l'épreuve des valeurs humaines face à l'extrême quotidien et face à l'extrême exceptionnel. Cette enquête narrative comme la

"In one of his major works, Facing the Extreme, Todorov asks whether it is true the Nazi concentration camps and the Soviet Gulags revealed that in extreme situations 'all traces of moral life evaporate as men become beasts locked in a merciless struggle for survival' (31–46). That opinion is commonplace of popularized accounts of the camps, and also appears in accounts of survivors themselves." (Wikipedia)

"o que me interessa aqui não é o totalitarismo em si, mas sua ação sobre a conduta moral dos indivíduos".

One of those life-altering books for me. EXCELLENT BOOK.

Ένα πολύτιμο βιβλίο που εισάγει τον αναγνώστη στην ψυχολογία των παραγόντων των στρατοπέδων της ναζιστικής Γερμανίας και της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης. Πλούσιες μαρτυρίες και κειμενικές αναφορές για τους εγκλείστους των στρατοπέδων, για τους βασανιστές, για τους επικεφαλής των κατέργων στα οποία συντελέστηκε το χειρότερο έγκλημα κατά της ανθρωπότητας, το Ολοκαύτωμα εναντίον των Εβραίων.Αρκετά λάθη στο ελληνικό κείμενο.

Todorov used accounts of people who were in Nazi concentration camps and Soviet Gulags to explore morality and the effects of totalitarianism upon people. He explores heros, dignity, caring upon people put into extreme situations. Its a worthwhile read.

In a recent discussion thread I had on this site, the subject came up of how people react in extreme circumstances, and that led me to this 1991 book. I hadn’t known anything about the author so wasn’t sure what I would make of it, but it turned to be an excellent choice for me. Todorov considers the moral life of individuals within the context of an extreme environment such as a concentration camp. He examines evidence from both the Nazi camps and the Stalinist Gulag, quoting extensively from m...

Povinná literatúra namiesto ohraných báchoriek z biblických čias.Špeciálne kapitola o rozparcelovaní života na súkromné a verejné, ktoré umožňuje človeku v jeden moment vykonať najkrutejšie zverstvo a v druhom sa dojímať pre maličkosť, cez deň poslať na smrť desiatky ľudí a večer písať láskyplné dopisy rodičom alebo rodine. Pozor, toto nie je zďaleka len o dozorcoch z 2.sv. ale o nás všetkých, o politikoch, ktorí veria, že veria, majú o sebe pekný sebaobraz, kradnú "pre rodinu" a v luxusných aut...

One of the most fascinating reads I've ever picked up. Probes the human psyche in a powerful way.

"I thank you, rusty prison grating, And thank you, sharp bayonet blades, For you have given me more wisdom Than learning over long decades."

Fantastic book. Todorov has a tremendously inquisitive mind, and he here inquires into how moral life was able to endure within the Nazi concentration camps. Moreover, what implications does the fact of the Holocaust have for morals writ large? Can they still exist after the horrors of the 20th century? If you're at all interested in any of these ideas, Todorov is a fascinating read.

This is a great book that gives good and bad side of probably the most tragic event in our century. It helped me deal with knowledge of all the terrible things that happened during the holocaust

В книгата си "На предела" (българското издание е на "Народна култура" от 1994 г., а преводът е на Виктория Кьосовска и Мария Георгиева; френското издание е от 1991 г.) Цветан Тодоров изследва и анализира етическия аспект на това, което той определя като най-ярък пример за разгръщането на злото през XX век, а именно - концентрационните лагери, плод на тоталитарните идеологии (нацистки и съветски). Тодоров извършва анализа си на база източници от първа ръка, т.е. спомени и творби на оцелели от лаг...

Facing the Extreme: Moral Life in the Concentration Camps is a study in moral philosophy, primarily concerned with the ideas of good and evil as brought into sharp focus within the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and the gulags of Soviet Russia. It is extremely readable for a book on such a weighty subject.In looking at the good side, the author considers two kinds of virtues – the heroic and the ordinary.He notes that the heroic virtues are good, and in some cases necessary, but that they c...

Superb - and (like most of the book's I've reviewed here to date) one that I return to on a regular basis. Tzvetan Todorov tackles the worst of human experiences with deceptive ease in a bid to explain why we as a species behave as we do. A very powerful book indeed.

I've collected and read most English language books regarding the Holocaust and various views, and have a number of German and Russian language exclusives as well. This volume is outstanding in presenting in clear, concise terms and voice both through the author's observations and excerpts from other works and memoirs from survivors or inmates, the reality of what not just being in a concentration camp was about, but life for those on the outside. Another thing I appreciated about this book was

Academic

this book deserves a lengthy review but won't get one from me at this moment. Hence, I won't pick at it too harshly either. Suffice it to say that this book is written in the spirit of academic criticism, and is prone to all the pitfalls of the genre, including smugness and the privileging of certain categories of experience over others. The author uses Elie Wiesel as an authority!On the flip side, the book is a worthwhile read because of the subject it tackles, moral life, and the skill and ins...

Todorov at his best! A clear, thoughtful investigation into what it means to act morally in the living hell of the concentration camps.

AN intense read. I had to take a break from it for a few days. A massive work. I disagree on some definitions which are key, but I never found his arguments for those definitions uncompelling or unworthy of my consideration.