That's a really good summary of Junger and his work. This is a golden era for Anglophone Junger studies - new translations keep coming out.
I do get the impression that the readability of his work goes down through his career, with the earliest writings being the most accessible.
I did enjoy reading "the Details of Time" but find some of the interviews and conclusions journalists make in the latter stages of Junger's life quite odd. They take at face value a man who spent years writing about inner freedom and his concept of the Anarch.
I'd always put Storm of Steel as top of the recommendations list, as it's the best known and most accessible of Junger's works, even if in many ways it's the least typical piece.
As a book, Storm of Steel is fantastic. My book list was put together with the specific intention of helping someone come to a full perspective of Jünger's philosophical position at the completion of his journey, so Storm of Steel isn't so helpful simply because he travels so far during the course of his life, from that origin point.
That is not to say it's not independently worth the read, it absolutely is, there's a reason it became such a well known and well travelled book.
Great article and primer on Jünger, certainly one of the most unbiased and straightforward overviews of his trajectory. The recommendations list is the best that I've seen so far. Keep up the good work!
Great list! Personally, I think Forest Passage is a great entry point for those new to Jünger, since it's short and chock-full of insights relevant to our times. For the philosophically minded, "Über die Linie" (Across the line) is a great essay, not sure it's available in English though.
For those who are interested, we did a series of podcasts on Jünger's Forest Passage with a little introduction to his life and work. You'll find the links here: https://luctalks.substack.com/p/podcast-appearances
A great introduction to the development of Jünger's thought. I've only read Storm of Steel along with some interviews so this is really clarifying on where to go next.
Another issue with Juenger (my phone won’t do umlauts right now for some reason) is that he had a habit of substantially rewriting new editions of his work - the first version of the adventurous Heart differed significantly from later versions. This is particularly noticeable with pre1933 works that were revised after the war, and my understanding is that most of the English translations are based on later editions. For a German writer of his era he is quite an easy read in German
I will read your glass bees essay with great interest. I want to delve into Junger's conception of the metaphysical.
I recently listened to Evola's metaphysics of war. Are you familiar with it and is it a similar take as Junger's on the metaphysical significance and potential for spiritual elevation found in war?
Also, would you like to recommend each other's blogs?
I haven't read much of your blog but the articles I've seen I enjoyed. Would be happy to recommend each other.
Evola considered The Worker to be the last of Jünger's works he approved of, and for Jünger's part, he did not bother to even reply to Evola's letters asking for a free copy in order to translate it to Italian.
Thank you for this! Have had Junger at the back of my mind for years now, and have admired what I have known of him but never knew how exactly to think of his arc.
Thanks for this. I have Storm of Steel but had intended to read it alongside Always With Honor and the Peter Kemp books as a short study of World War One and the aftermath. Now I'll have to end on Storm of Steel then dive into the rest of Junger. And so the infinity stack grows.
Did you read "The Longhouse," edited by Participation Frog? It's a collection of short stories that were submitted to the first Passage Prize but did not win. One story, "Out to Eumeswil" by Aeon Animus, was a sort of Junger homage. Or maybe a Junger satire, as it veers off in the last act into an unexpected direction. Aeon's "Anarchaea" is a utopian vision and not at all what I had expected from Junger or his followers, though I admit I have all my Junger second-hand. More than anything, this Anarchaea reminded me of the vision of Er from the end of The Republic.
I will be looking into what you mentioned here because I haven't read any of these except for the first Peter Kemp book. Thank you! Am very interested in a Jünger inspired short story.
Jun 28, 2023·edited Jun 28, 2023Liked by Sanfedisti
In the later editions of "History of Political Philosophy", Leo Strauss acknowledges that Heidegger is the philosopher of our time, that we must read him. However, I personally think the most important single book of the 20th Century is "Decline of the West".
Decline is certainly one of the most. I might put B&T ahead of it but it's absolutely close. Spengler takes the cake for most important Historian of that century.
Jun 28, 2023·edited Jun 28, 2023Liked by Sanfedisti
You find little hints here and there in Strauss that he takes Spengler seriously, although he never published an extended critique (that I know of). Spengler is the ne plus ultra voice of historicism, of which Strauss and friends have much to say. It is a shame that OS died in 1936 and did not exchange letters with Strauss. Imagine how much richer we would be with another two or three decades of Spengler insights and commentary.
"The reader coming away with a warped view of his conclusions, if they..." Proper English is "He" not "they." "Jünger?" Does anyone see a letter "ü" on your keyboard? That is because there is no letter U with two dots in English. I stress this because these changes go along with changing 1900 AD with 1900 CE. Like mankind versus humankind. Conservatism starts with a person's own life, do not write the newspeak created to undermine society.
That's a really good summary of Junger and his work. This is a golden era for Anglophone Junger studies - new translations keep coming out.
I do get the impression that the readability of his work goes down through his career, with the earliest writings being the most accessible.
I did enjoy reading "the Details of Time" but find some of the interviews and conclusions journalists make in the latter stages of Junger's life quite odd. They take at face value a man who spent years writing about inner freedom and his concept of the Anarch.
I'd always put Storm of Steel as top of the recommendations list, as it's the best known and most accessible of Junger's works, even if in many ways it's the least typical piece.
As a book, Storm of Steel is fantastic. My book list was put together with the specific intention of helping someone come to a full perspective of Jünger's philosophical position at the completion of his journey, so Storm of Steel isn't so helpful simply because he travels so far during the course of his life, from that origin point.
That is not to say it's not independently worth the read, it absolutely is, there's a reason it became such a well known and well travelled book.
Great article and primer on Jünger, certainly one of the most unbiased and straightforward overviews of his trajectory. The recommendations list is the best that I've seen so far. Keep up the good work!
Great list! Personally, I think Forest Passage is a great entry point for those new to Jünger, since it's short and chock-full of insights relevant to our times. For the philosophically minded, "Über die Linie" (Across the line) is a great essay, not sure it's available in English though.
For those who are interested, we did a series of podcasts on Jünger's Forest Passage with a little introduction to his life and work. You'll find the links here: https://luctalks.substack.com/p/podcast-appearances
Over the Line is available in English. There’s a free .pdf of his correspondence with Heidegger available online. Easy google
A great introduction to the development of Jünger's thought. I've only read Storm of Steel along with some interviews so this is really clarifying on where to go next.
On the Marble Cliffs, Forest Passage, A German Officer in Paris, Glass Bees, and Eumeswil are indispensable.
Here’s another:
https://counter-currents.com/product/ernst-junger/
Another issue with Juenger (my phone won’t do umlauts right now for some reason) is that he had a habit of substantially rewriting new editions of his work - the first version of the adventurous Heart differed significantly from later versions. This is particularly noticeable with pre1933 works that were revised after the war, and my understanding is that most of the English translations are based on later editions. For a German writer of his era he is quite an easy read in German
you wouldnt happen to know if "the worker" is in english anywhere?
thanks!
oh and I couldn't make any sense out of Glass Bees sadly.
Read my three part series on The Glass Bees and it'll all make sense to you.
Yes The Worker was translated recently. There is a good print you can get off Amazon but it's around $30.
I dont have amazon, sadly (or a credit card).
Perhaps you could write a primer on it?
I will read your glass bees essay with great interest. I want to delve into Junger's conception of the metaphysical.
I recently listened to Evola's metaphysics of war. Are you familiar with it and is it a similar take as Junger's on the metaphysical significance and potential for spiritual elevation found in war?
Also, would you like to recommend each other's blogs?
Twitter DM.
oh i got suspended. do you have TG?
I haven't read much of your blog but the articles I've seen I enjoyed. Would be happy to recommend each other.
Evola considered The Worker to be the last of Jünger's works he approved of, and for Jünger's part, he did not bother to even reply to Evola's letters asking for a free copy in order to translate it to Italian.
I read evola's praise for the Worker. Made me want to read it.
Ok, ill recommend you. Hopefully we can cooperate and help each other going forward.
This is really helpful, thanks Sanfed. I intend to read the first block at minimum.
Thank you for this! Have had Junger at the back of my mind for years now, and have admired what I have known of him but never knew how exactly to think of his arc.
Thanks for this. I have Storm of Steel but had intended to read it alongside Always With Honor and the Peter Kemp books as a short study of World War One and the aftermath. Now I'll have to end on Storm of Steel then dive into the rest of Junger. And so the infinity stack grows.
Did you read "The Longhouse," edited by Participation Frog? It's a collection of short stories that were submitted to the first Passage Prize but did not win. One story, "Out to Eumeswil" by Aeon Animus, was a sort of Junger homage. Or maybe a Junger satire, as it veers off in the last act into an unexpected direction. Aeon's "Anarchaea" is a utopian vision and not at all what I had expected from Junger or his followers, though I admit I have all my Junger second-hand. More than anything, this Anarchaea reminded me of the vision of Er from the end of The Republic.
I will be looking into what you mentioned here because I haven't read any of these except for the first Peter Kemp book. Thank you! Am very interested in a Jünger inspired short story.
In the later editions of "History of Political Philosophy", Leo Strauss acknowledges that Heidegger is the philosopher of our time, that we must read him. However, I personally think the most important single book of the 20th Century is "Decline of the West".
t. Allan Bloom student
Decline is certainly one of the most. I might put B&T ahead of it but it's absolutely close. Spengler takes the cake for most important Historian of that century.
You find little hints here and there in Strauss that he takes Spengler seriously, although he never published an extended critique (that I know of). Spengler is the ne plus ultra voice of historicism, of which Strauss and friends have much to say. It is a shame that OS died in 1936 and did not exchange letters with Strauss. Imagine how much richer we would be with another two or three decades of Spengler insights and commentary.
"The reader coming away with a warped view of his conclusions, if they..." Proper English is "He" not "they." "Jünger?" Does anyone see a letter "ü" on your keyboard? That is because there is no letter U with two dots in English. I stress this because these changes go along with changing 1900 AD with 1900 CE. Like mankind versus humankind. Conservatism starts with a person's own life, do not write the newspeak created to undermine society.
I write for a Dutch reactionary blog and would like to translate some of your work, could you dm me please?
I don't know how to DM on this platform; just reply to my tweet promoting this essay.