Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a major French writer, literary theorist and
critic of French culture and society. His classic works include Mythologies and
Camera Lucida. Criticism and Truth is a brilliant discussion of the language of
literary criticism and a key work in the Barthes canon. It is a cultural,
linguistic and intellectual challenge to those who believe in the clarity,
flexibility and neutrality of language, couched in Barthes' own inimitable and
provocative style.