Written by one of the world's preeminent authorities on Kierkegard, this
biography is the first to reveal the delicate imbrication of Kierkegard's life
and thought. To grasp the importance and influence of Kierkegaard's thought far
beyond his native Denmark, it is necessary to trace the many factors that led
this gifted but (according to his headmaster) 'exceedingly childish youth' to
grapple with traditional philosophical problems and religious themes in a way
that later generations would recognize as amounting to a philosophical
revolution. Although Kierkegaard's works are widely tapped and cited they are
seldom placed in context. Nor is due attention placed to their chronology.
However, perhaps more than