The End of Modern Literature Paperback by Kojin Karatani

Product Details

• Publisher: Verso (2026-08-18)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 240 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781836743903
• Item Weight: 272.16 grams
• Dimensions: 23.27 x 15.29 x 1.52 cm

A groundbreaking essay on literature’s demise from the award-winning philosopher

What comes after the death of literature? Kojin Karatani, winner of the 2022 Berggruen Prize, examines the corpse, investigates the cause of death, and offers glimpses of an afterlife from various theoretical perspectives. The End of Modern Literature reimagines the significance and concept of literature.

Alongside Karatani’s essential essay comes commentary and responses by Fredric Jameson, Bruce Robbins, Kenneth W. Warren, Gauri Viswanathan, Andrew Gibson, Young-il Cho, Yoshiki Tajiri, Michael K. Bourdaghs, and Jonathan E. Abel, along with an introduction that situates Karatani’s essay in his theoretical oeuvre.

About the Author

Kojin Karatani is an internationally renowned Marxian theorist and philosopher. Previously, he was a Professor at Hosei University in Tokyo, Kinki University in Osaka, and Columbia University in New York. He is the author of Transcritique, The Structure of World History, and Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility, among others.