Michel Foucault (1926-1984) was a French philosopher and widely recognised as one of the most original and influential thinkers of the 20th Century. James Faubion is at Rice University, USA. Charles Ruas is the translator of Death and the Labyrinth.

"One of the important things about the Roussel book, however, is that it shows that approach to literature in full flight. And reading it is a pleasure, but a pleasure that is not unmixed with pain. Foucault's own enjoyment, not only of the texts of Roussel, but of the process of producing his analyses of those texts, is contagious. And if that makes us go back and read some of Roussel's work, then the book has served an important function... given Foucault's own fondness for subjugated knowledges and forgotten histories, we would be well justified in uncovering this secret love of an anguished and obsessive young philosopher." -Timothy O'Leary, Foucault Studies, February 2009

• General Introduction by James Faubion; Chronology of Foucault's Life & Work; 1. The Threshold and the Key; 2. The Cushions of the Billiard table; 3. Rhyme and Reason; 4. Dawns, Mine Crystal; 5. The Metamorphosis and the Labyrinth; 6. The Surface of Things; 7. The Empty Lens; 8. The Enclosed Sun; 9. An Interview with Michel Foucault by Charles Ruas Postscript: "On Raymond Roussel" by John Ashbery Bibliography of primary and secondary works Selective Bibliography; Index.