Hebben we eigenlijk nog wel iets aan poëzie? Hölderlins erfenis gewogen door Lacoue-Labarthe en Badiou

Abstract

Although poetry once played an important role in shaping the community, the present day situation seems to call for another use of its powers. This, at least, is the shared assumption underlying an important discussion between Alain Badiou and Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe. In their dispute, both hark back to Holderlin’s work and its decisive role in today’s thought on poetry. Strikingly though, their interpretations of Holderlin’s key role diverge widely, since Badiou bases himself on Martin Heidegger’s interpretation of Holderlin’s poetry, whereas Lacoue-Labarthe joins that of Walter Benjamin. Badiou believes that the poetry of Holderlin is one of the main reasons why contemporary thought has to free itself of the ‘Age of the poets’; Lacoue-Labarthe, on the other hand, argues that Holderlin’s poetry provides important new insights in the social relevance of poetry.