Apology of Narcissus (Apologiya Nartsissa)

Boris Groys's new book explores the contemporary phenomenon of the aestheticization of culture and of humanity itself, which, more than ever, becomes an object of contemplation. The necessity, even the obligation, of self-design is transforming today's society into a narcissistic one. Exploring the experience embodied in ancient Greek myth, Groys reexamines the simplified—and often negative—notion of Narcissus as a passive contemplator of his own body and recognizes him as one of the iconic heroes of our era.