This philosophical biography in dialogical form allowed me to retrace the curve of an intellectual progression marked by probity and intelligence, depth and clarity, scholarly precision and cultural curiosity, in a word by integrity a virtue that Derek has always exemplified for me. Jean-Michel Rabate, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, University of Pennsylvania; Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Letters Derek Attridge is one of the most brilliant and versatile literary thinkers in the Anglophone world. With interests ranging from prosody to deconstruction, together with groundbreaking critical studies of Joyce and Coetzee, Attridge has inspired colleagues and students across three continents. Maud Ellmann, Berlin Professor of English, University of Chicago Attridge is one of the most distinguished literary theorists in the world. This admirably readable book is a marvelously cool, in the sense of fair-minded, introduction to modern theory. Its autobiographical side exemplifies how important are chance encounters with people or books. J. Hillis Miller, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine