What is needed for something new to appear? According to Gilles Deleuze, one of the most brilliant of contemporary philosophers, this question of "novelty" is the major problem posed by Bergson's work. In Bergsonism, Deleuze demonstrates both the development and the range of three fundamental Bergsonian concepts: duration, memory, and the élan vital.

A perfect companion book to Bergson's Matter and Memory, Bergsonism is also of particular interest to students of Deleuze's own work, influenced as it is by Bergson. Given his texts on Nietzsche, Kafka, and cinema, this book by Deleuze is essential to his English-reading audience. The paperback contains a new afterword prepared by the author especially for this English-language edition.

In this analysis of one major philosopher by another, Gilles Deleuze identifies three pivotal concepts - duration, memory, and elan vital - that are found throughout Bergson's writings and shows the relevance of Bergson's work to contemporary philosophical debates.

"This translation of Bergsonism is an important, welcome addition to the English-speaking philosophical community. Deleuze elucidates and facilitates our comprehension of Bergson's original, fascinating, but difficult metaphysical idea that reality should be understood not in terms of space, but only in terms of time?. This book, as original and concise as it is comprehensive, will serve as an excellent introduction for those interested in the philosophy of Bergson."