This is the first English biography of Gaston Bachelard, a philosopher who bridged the worlds of science and imagination. Raised in rural France, Bachelard served in the First World War, worked for the post office and pursued degrees in science and philosophy while teaching in his local school. His journey led to a professorship at the Sorbonne, where he influenced many prominent postwar French thinkers. Known as both a philosopher of science and author of works on the imagination inspired by the elements – earth, air, fire and water – Bachelard needed to negotiate a constant tension between science and poetry, calculation and dream. This biography provides a complete portrait of Bachelard, illuminating his struggles with the nature of knowledge itself.

This brilliant and patient account of the life and writings of the pre-eminent mid-twentieth-century French philosopher illuminates themes of scientific reason and imaginative poetics that dominated Gaston Bachelard’s wide-ranging concerns. Steven Connor’s book offers an astute guide through the puzzles and seductions of a stylistic master whose work remains crucial to contemporary thought. * Simon Schaffer, Emeritus Fellow, Darwin College, Cambridge *

In this first-ever biography of Gaston Bachelard in English, Steven Connor not only narrates Bachelard’s life, but presents and explains his works in an admirably accessible manner. This book is an excellent introduction to Bachelard, and a very good read.

* Cristina Chimisso, Professor of Philosophy at the Open University and author of Gaston Bachelard: Critic of Science and the Imagination *
Steven Connor's biography of Bachelard charts a riveting journey of this remarkable French thinker from postman and soldier to Professor at the Sorbonne and philosopher of imagination par excellence. It shows how Bachelard’s unique mind expressed a double fidelity to both rational science and poetic reverie. A creation combustion of images and ideas, to be greatly welcomed. The book is an intellectual delight. * Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Professor of Philosophy at Boston College *

Steven Connor is Professor of English and Director of Research of the Digital Futures Institute, King’s College London. He is the author of more than twenty books including The Madness of Knowledge (2019) and Dreamwork (2023), both published by Reaktion Books.