The Space of LiteratureMaurice Blanchot, the eminent literary and cultural critic, has had a vast influence on contemporary French writersamong them Jean Paul Sartre and Jacques Derrida. From the 1930s through the present day, his writings have been shaping the international literary consciousness. The Space of Literature, first published in France in 1955, is central to the development of Blanchot's thought. In it he reflects on literature and the unique demand it makes