Louis Althusser: the man or the myth?

At the beginning of 1992, one could go into the philosophy section of one of the largest bookshops in Paris and ask for information about a book on Althusser, to be greeted with the baffled question: 'Althusser, who...?' The publication of Althusser's autobiographical texts, L'avenir dure longtemps, and a biography by Yann Moulier Boutang, timed to coincide at the end of April, has certainly changed all that. This joint event was intended as a bombshell and had indeed provoked some succes de scandalre, particularly as L'avenir dure longtemps has now been made the subject of a film. It has certainly provided matter for titillating the public's interest, while at the same time raising some fundamental questions.