Sojourns: The Journey to Greece

Heidegger’s philosophical journal, written during his first visit to Greece in 1962, and appearing here in English for the first time.

The story of Martin Heidegger’s enigmatic search for truth in the land that inspired his philosophy, Aufenthalte (Sojourns) is the philosophical journal that he kept during his first visit to Greece in the spring of 1962. Available here for the first time in English, this invaluable translation offers not only a rare and intimate view of its author, but also a chance to observe Heidegger working with his philosophical concepts outside the lecture hall, applying them in concrete cultural and historical contexts. Here we find Heidegger in dialogue with Greek history itself as it has left traces in the land, and as it has been recorded on various monuments and works of art.

“Available for the first time in English … this confrontation between Heidegger’s philosophy, the technology of travel and the weight of ancient history is both fascinating and amusing.” — Times Literary Supplement

“[Heidegger] was well past seventy when he went [to Greece] for the first time. For years he had hesitated about making such a trip, and just two years earlier he had cancelled his plan to travel to Greece with his friend Eckhart Kästner. Later he made two further trips to Greece, as well as three trips at least to Provence. But it was the initial trip to Greece, in 1962, that was decisive and that yielded this beautiful, if enigmatic, travelbook Sojourns.” — from the Foreword by John Sallis