The Point of View for My Work as an Author
Written in 1848 and published after his death, this retrospective presents Kierkegaard’s authorship as a religious project. It is an important self-interpretation whose later editorial history and strategic framing require attention.
Understanding the text
Kierkegaard wrote in nineteenth-century Copenhagen amid debates about philosophy, Lutheran Christianity and modern public life. His pseudonymous authors are constructed perspectives, not simple masks whose every statement expresses his settled view. Signed discourses, posthumous manuscripts and editions must be distinguished from the published pseudonymous books.
Key points
- 01
Retrospect
A writer’s account of earlier books interprets a career; it does not erase changes and tensions.
- 02
Authorship
The relationship between pseudonymous literature and signed religious writing becomes a central question.
- 03
Publication
The posthumous appearance and editor’s decisions must be distinguished from the date of composition.
How to read it
Compare its claims with publication dates and with the voices of the earlier books themselves.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗