contemporary french philosophy books

a list to get you started on your french philosophical path

Apparently I’m in a philosophical mood, so I’m sharing a list of contemporary French philosophy books (meaning, authors from the 20th century).

I tried to include texts you may never have encountered before, alongside more popular ones. The concepts explored here are also diverse: anthropology, language, power, existentialism. The latter is often the most associated with French philosophy, but it’s hardly the only one (some philosophers would revolt against the very idea of it!) I wanted to include a little bit of everything so that you could explore whatever strikes your passions.

Many of these texts deal with language and writing, and what it means to be an author, so if any of you are writers, they may be worth picking up. I personally enjoy reading on the craft of writing, and a philosophical take is always fascinating.

I am in no way an actual academic student of philosophy, so take all of these with a grain of salt (and don’t come at me if you are a professor or something, this is just a personal list). This is meant as a starter point, and for fun! And I do hope you have fun with your casual philosophy readings.