The first English biography of the twentieth-century French sociologist and philosopher.

Once hailed as a historian of the future, Jean Baudrillard remains a vital figure for understanding the present. Famous for ideas like “simulation” and the “hyperreal,” linked to postmodernism and The Matrix, Baudrillard was both celebrated and controversial in his time, largely due to his bold pronouncements about events including the Gulf War and 9/11. The man himself, however, remains enigmatic.
 
This first biography in English explores Baudrillard’s life and work, tracing his journey from the early years and French intellectual prominence to his global influence as a thinker, photographer, and public intellectual. Using newly uncovered material, Emmanuelle Fantin and Bran Nicol provide fresh insights into his major works and ideas, offering readers a clear guide to his singular, uncompromising philosophy.