Justin Clemens
Encyclopedia
Justin Clemens is an Australian philosopher, translator
, social critic, and poet
. He is primarily known today for his work on Alain Badiou
as an editor, translator, and scholar writing, speaking, and lecturing on the impact of Badiou's thought in this contemporary juncture.
A former instructor in the Psychoanalytic Studies department at Deakin University
, Clemens now teaches in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne
where he first earned his degrees: a B.A.
(1990), an M.A.
(1995), and a PhD
(1999).
Clemens is currently Secretary of the Lacan
Circle of Melbourne, Australia, and art critic for the Australian magazine The Monthly. In his own published work, he writes extensively on psychoanalysis, contemporary European philosophy, and literature. Clemens has also published poetry and prose fiction.
Creative works
Authored books
Edited collections and books
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
, social critic, and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He is primarily known today for his work on Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou is a French philosopher, professor at European Graduate School, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure . Along with Giorgio Agamben and Slavoj Žižek, Badiou is a prominent figure in an anti-postmodern strand of continental philosophy...
as an editor, translator, and scholar writing, speaking, and lecturing on the impact of Badiou's thought in this contemporary juncture.
A former instructor in the Psychoanalytic Studies department at Deakin University
Deakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
, Clemens now teaches in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
where he first earned his degrees: a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1990), an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(1995), and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(1999).
Clemens is currently Secretary of the Lacan
Lacan
Lacan is surname of:* Jacques Lacan , French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist** The Seminars of Jacques Lacan** From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power, a book on political philosophy by Saul Newman** Lacan at the Scene* Judith Miller, née Lacan...
Circle of Melbourne, Australia, and art critic for the Australian magazine The Monthly. In his own published work, he writes extensively on psychoanalysis, contemporary European philosophy, and literature. Clemens has also published poetry and prose fiction.
Selected bibliography
Translated books and articles- Badiou, Alain, "On a Contemporary Usage of Frege", trans. Justin Clemens and Sam GillespieSam GillespieSam Gillespie was a philosopher with a particular interest in the work of Alain Badiou. Gillespie was described by Joan Copjec as "one of the most gifted and promising philosophers of his generation". He was a co-founder of the academic journal Umbr , a talented graphic designer and a committed...
, UMBR(a), no. 1, 2000, pp. 99-115.- Infinite Thought: Truth and the Return to Philosophy. Translated and edited by Clemens & Oliver FelthamOliver FelthamOliver Feltham is an Australian philosopher and translator working in Paris, France. He is known primarily for his English translations of Alain Badiou, most notably Badiou’s magnum opus Being and Event . Feltham's own writings are drawn from many of his research interests including Marxism,...
, (London: Continuum, 2003): ISBN 978-0-8264-7929-7 (paperback); ISBN 978-0-8264-6724-9 (hardcover)
- Infinite Thought: Truth and the Return to Philosophy. Translated and edited by Clemens & Oliver Feltham
Creative works
- (poetry) The Mundiad. (Melbourne: Black, Inc. Publishing, 2004) ISBN 1863951733
- (novella) Black River. With collages by Helen Johnson, (Melbourne: re.press, 2007) ISBN 9780980305227
- (poetry) Villain. (Melbourne: Hunter Contemporary Australian Poets, 2009)
Authored books
- The Romanticism of Contemporary Theory: Institutions, Aesthetics, Nihilism. (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2003)
- Avoiding the Subject: Media, Culture and the Object. (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2004)
Edited collections and books
- Jaques Lacan and the Other Side of Psychoanalysis: Reflections on Seminar XVII. Clemens & R. Grigg (eds.), (Durham: Duke University Press, 2006).
- The Praxis of Alain Badiou. Paul Ashton, A. J. Bartlett, Justin Clemens (eds.), (Melbourne: re.press, 2006).
- The Work of Giorgio Agamben: Law, Literature, Life. Edited with Nicholas Heron and Alex Murray. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008).
- Badiou: Key Concepts. Bartlett & Clemens (eds.), (London: Acumen, 2010). Contributions from various Badiou scholars and translators including, along with Clemens and Bartlett, Bruno BosteelsBruno BosteelsBruno Bosteels is a philologist, a translator, Professor of Romance Studies at Cornell University. He currently serves as the General Editor of diacritics. Bosteels is best known to the English-speaking world for his translations of the work of Alain Badiou...
, Ray BrassierRay BrassierRay Brassier is a member of the Philosophy faculty at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, known for his work in philosophical realism. He was formerly Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy at Middlesex University, London, England.He is the author of Nihil...
, Oliver FelthamOliver FelthamOliver Feltham is an Australian philosopher and translator working in Paris, France. He is known primarily for his English translations of Alain Badiou, most notably Badiou’s magnum opus Being and Event . Feltham's own writings are drawn from many of his research interests including Marxism,...
, Z.L. Fraser, Sigi Jottkandt, Nina PowerNina PowerNina Power is a British philosopher, writer, journalist and academic. She is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Roehampton University. She is the co-editor of Alain Badiou's On Samuel Beckett and his Political Writings....
, and Alberto ToscanoAlberto ToscanoAlberto Toscano is a cultural critic, social theorist, philosopher and translator best known to the English-speaking world for his translations of the work of Alain Badiou, including Badiou’s The Century and Logics of Worlds... - The Jacqueline RoseJacqueline RoseJacqueline Rose is a British academic who is currently Professor of English at Queen Mary, University of London.-Life and work:...
Reader. Edited by Clemens & Ben Naparstek (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011) - forthcoming
External links
- Contributor's Index at The Monthly this page has nearly 2 dozen links to essays and articles by Clemens on a wide variety of topics covering politics, society, and culture
- Manifesto of Virtual Art 2010 by Clemens, Adam Nash and Christopher Dodds
- Breaking the silence on a great mind In this essay first appearing in April 2010, Clemens discusses Albert CamusAlbert CamusAlbert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
and reviews the book Albert Camus: Elements of a Life by Robert Zaretsky - Dürer: Innsbruck 1495 a poem by Clemens appearing in JacketJacket (magazine)Jacket is an on-line literary periodical edited by the Australian poet John Tranter. The first issue was in October 1997.Each new number of the magazine is posted at the Web site piece by piece until the new issue is full, when the next issue starts. Past issues remain posted as well...
(2009) - You Have the Right to Remain Silent In this on-line essay from the journal Heat, Clemens gives "a passionate analysis of torture and its relation to the freedom of speech"
- 6 Sonnets from Ten Thousand Fcuking Monkeys includes some poems from an early Clemens publication
- Lion Camel Child Clemen's second collection of poetry available here complete in a pdf version