Synopsis

The landmark investigation into suicide and society-now in a new translation

Émile Durkheim, one of the fathers of modern sociology, was the first to suggest that suicide might be as much a response to society as an act of individual despair. When he looked at social, religious, or racial groups that had high incidences of suicide, he discovered that abnormally high or low levels of social integration increase the likelihood of suicide. More than a century after its initial publication, Durkheim's groundbreaking work continues to fascinate and challenge those seeking to understand one of the least understandable of human acts.

Michael Rogers - Library Journal

Released in 1897, Durkheim's look at suicide from a sociological perspective went beyond an individual's depression to ponder why it happens: Why are some social, religious, or racial groups more prone to it? He considers suicide the ultimate criticism of society. His research is divided into reasons for suicide, social forms of suicide, and its relation to society as a whole. More for the academics.

Biography

Robin Buss is a writer and translator who works for theIndependent on Sunday and as television critic for The Times Educational Supplement. He studied at the University of Paris, where he took a degree and a doctorate in French literature. He is part-author of the article 'French Literature' in Encyclopaedia Britannica and has published critical studies of works by Vigny and Cocteau, and three books on European cinema, The French Through Their Films (1988), Italian Films (1989) and French Film Noir (1994). He has also translated a number of volumes for Penguin Classics.