A new translation from the French of Paul Valéry's
L'Âme et La Danse (1925)
. In this work, Valéry interrogates the dualist relations between body and mind, movement and thought, and dance and philosophy. Valéry employs a mock Platonic dialogue to explore these themes, in which Socrates, Phaedrus, and Eryximachus observe dancers.
Best known as a poet, Valéry (1871-1945) also published books, essays, and writings connected to philosophy. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature twelve times.