‎KIERKEGAARD, SØREN.‎
‎Tre opbyggelige Taler af S. Kierkegaard. - [ONE OF TWO KNOWN PRESENTATION-COPIES - THE ONE FOR HEIBERG]‎

‎Kjøbenhavn, Philipsen, 1843. 8vo. 62 pp. Original gift-binding of the black glitted paper with single gilt lines to spine and all edges gilt. A bit of wear to extremities with tiny loss of paper to front hinge. Minor loss to upper capital. Top of front board restored and with neat restoration to upper part of spine and lower capital. Occasional light brownspotting.With the book-plate of Karl Madsen to inside of front board.‎

Reference : 62269

‎One of two known presentation-copies of the important Three Upbuilding Discourses from 1843, the religious companien to Fear and Trembling from the same year, inscribed by Kierkegaard to Heiberg, on front free end-paper: “Til / Hr. Professor J.L. Heiberg / R af D. / ærbødigst / fra / Forfatteren. (i.e. For / Mr. Professor / J. L. Heiberg / R af D (i.e. Ridder (Knight) of Dannebrog) / most respectfully / from the Author). Kierkagaard's Upbuilding (or Edifying) Discourses were published over the course of two years, in 1843 and 1844. In all, 18 Upbuilding Discourses were published, divided over six publications, namely: Two Upbuilding Discourses from 1843, Three Upbuilding Discourses from 1843, Four Upbuilding Discourses from 1843, Two Upbuilding Discourses from 1844, Three Upbuilding Discourses from 1844, Four Upbuilding Discourses from 1844. Each of these publications accompanied one of the main pseudonymous works, beginning with Either-Or in 1843. As opposed to his major philosophical works, the religious upbuilding discourses actually bear the name of the author on the title-page. Of course, this was by no means incidental. While the pseudonymous works could raise the question of the religiousness of the author, the parallelly written religious discourses stress the fact that we are dealing with an author, who was religious from the very beginning – an essential fact that Kierkegaard wished to stress for those interested in his authorship. In his journals, Kierkegaard clearly states that the religious discourses are as significant in his oeuvre as a whole as are the larger pseudonymous works, “I began with “Either-Or” and two upbuilding discourses...” he says, and explains that he intended the upbuilding, the religious, to advance, and that he wanted to show “that the writer was not an aesthetic author who in the course of time grew older and for that reason became religious”. (Journals, IX A 227). He was religious all along, also during all of the major philosophical publications that were not written in his name. The fact that every major pseudonymous work – up until Concluding Unscientific Postscript appeared and revealed the identity of the real author – was accompanied by one of these small Upbuilding Discourses, bears testament to the pivotal role they play in Kierkegaard’s philosophical development. Furthermore, while Kierkegaard could not present anyone with copies of his pseudonymous works (as his name did not appear as the author on the title-page), he could indeed give away presentation-copies of his accompanying Upbuilding Discourses, which he then did. Most of these presentation-copies are in the typical black glitted paper bindings with single gilt lines to spines. Some, however, are in the original printed boards. The trade copies appeared in original wrappers, some of them blank, some of them printed, repeating the printing from the title-page within a printed frame. In May 1845, the publisher Philipsen buys the remainder issues of all six Discourse-publications, has a joint title-page printed along with a contents-leaf and now issues all six Discourse-publications together under the title Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses. The idea of the Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses. He had agreed to it, but it was not his intended project with the Upbuilding Discourses. Therefore, he wished for the book not to be reviewed, and he naturally did not give away any copies of the Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses, only the individual publications. In all, seven presentation-copies of the different Upbuilding Discourses are registered, all being for either Heiberg or Nielsen. Johan Ludvig Heiberg (1791-1860) was a Danish poet, playwright, literary critic, literary historian, philosopher, and quite simply the main cultural figure of 19th century Denmark. Heiberg profoundly influenced all of Danish culture within this period and must be considered the patron of Copenhagen's literati. He was very influential as a thinker in general, and he changed Danish philosophy seminally by introducing Hegel to the Northern countries. Needless to say, Heiberg also played a significant role in relation to Kierkegaard, who will comment on and refer to him continually throughout his career. As the unofficial arbiter of taste for the Danish intellectuals, Heiberg was also an inevitable recipient of Kierkegaard’s works as they were published. “There can be no doubt that Johan Ludvig Heiberg was a very important figure for the development of Kierkegaard’s thought. Heiberg’s criticism dominated an entire generation of literary scholarship and was profoundly influential on the young Kierkegaard. His dramatic works and translations are also frequently referred to and quoted by Kierkegaard and his pseudonyms… However, Heiberg was also a philosopher… His philosophical profile is clearly that of a Hegelian, and, not least of all due to Kierkegaard’s influence, this has led him to being unfairly dismissed…” (Jon Stewart in: Kierkegaard and his Danish Contemporaries I: p. (35)). Heiberg was there from the very beginning of Kierkegaard’s authorship, and although the two had both diverging personalities, diverging opinions, and diverging philosophies, Kierkegaard will have had respect for his place in society. Kierkegaard viewed himself as somewhat of an outsider, and it was of great importance to him to try and enter the famous literary and cultural circle of Heiberg. Heiberg is known for founding his own school of criticism and for his brilliant polemics against literary giants of the period. He was without comparison the most dominant literary critic of the period, and he reformed Danish theatre, introducing eg. French vaudeville to the Danish stage. Although through foreign influence, he ended up creating for the first time an actual national theatre in Denmark. “Heiberg’s success in so many different fields during such a rich period is truly remarkable.” (Jon Stewart). Furthermore, he profoundly influenced Danish philosophy and was pioneering in introducing Hegelian philosophy to the country. Himmelstrup: 57. ‎