Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost

Written by Slavoj Zizek

Narrated by Jonathan Cowley

Pandemic!: COVID-19 Shakes the World: We live in a moment when the greatest act of love is to stay distant from the object of your affection. When governments renowned for ruthless cuts in public spending can suddenly conjure up trillions. When toilet paper becomes a commodity as precious as diamonds. And when, according to Slavoj Žižek, a new form of communism-the outlines of which can already be seen in the very heartlands of neoliberalism-may be the only way of averting a descent into global barbarism. Written with his customary brio and love of analogies in popular culture (Quentin Tarantino and H. G. Wells sit next to Hegel and Marx), Žižek provides a concise and provocative snapshot of the COVID-19 crisis as it widens, engulfing us all.

Pandemic! 2: Chronicles of a Time Lost: Žižek delves into some of the more surprising dimensions of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing-and the increasingly unruly opposition to them by "response fatigued" publics around the planet. Here, Žižek examines the ripple effects on the food supply of harvest failures caused by labor shortages and the hyper-exploitation of the global class of care workers, without whose labor daily life would be impossible. Through such examples he pinpoints the inability of contemporary capitalism to effectively safeguard the public in times of crisis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666106848

Slavoj Zizek

Slavoj Žižek (Liubliana, 1949) estudió Filosofía en la Universidad de Liubliana y Psicoanálisis en la Universidad de París, y es filósofo, sociólogo, psicoanalista lacaniano, teórico cultural y activista político.  Es director internacional del Instituto Birkbeck para las Humanidades de la Universidad de Londres, investigador en el Instituto de Sociología de la Universidad de Liubliana y profesor en la European Graduate School. Es uno de los ensayistas más prestigiosos y leídos de la actualidad, autor de más de cuarenta libros de filosofía, cine, psicoanálisis, materialismo dialéctico y crítica de la ideología. En Anagrama ha publicado Mis chistes, mi filosofía, La nueva lucha de clases, Problemas en el paraíso, El coraje de la desesperanza, La vigencia de «El manifiesto comunista», Pandemia; Como un ladrón en pleno día y Incontinencia del vacío.

Reviews for Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2

[Madhav Deshpande · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost by Slavoj Žižek are two essential books for anyone who wants to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the world. Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic, and his writing is always provocative and thought-provoking.

In these two books, Žižek examines the pandemic from a variety of perspectives, including philosophical, political, and cultural. He argues that the pandemic has exposed the many contradictions and weaknesses of our current global system, and that it has forced us to rethink many of our assumptions about the world.

Žižek's writing is not always easy to read, but it is always rewarding. He is a master of the dialectical method, and he uses it to great effect in these two books. He is able to see both sides of an issue, and he is not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.

Critical analysis:

One of the things that makes Žižek's writing so valuable is his ability to connect seemingly unrelated phenomena. In these two books, he connects the COVID-19 pandemic to everything from climate change to the rise of populism. He argues that the pandemic is a symptom of a larger crisis of our global system, and that we need to address this crisis in order to prevent future pandemics.

Žižek also does a great job of examining the psychological and cultural impact of the pandemic. He argues that the pandemic has caused a widespread sense of anxiety and uncertainty, and that it has led to a breakdown of trust in institutions. He also argues that the pandemic has exposed the many inequalities in our society, and that it has made it clear that we need to create a more just and equitable world.

Overall, Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost are essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the world. Žižek is one of the most original and thought-provoking thinkers of our time, and these two books offer a unique and insightful perspective on the pandemic.