The most influential philosopher of the 20th century, Martin Heidegger, and his works still attract the attention of prominent philosophers, historians, social and political scientists, and representatives of many other fields. Since the 1990s, several attempts have been made to explain the cooperation and contradictions of the philosopher’s life and work, thoughts and actions in biographical reflections. Despite the fact that many documents related to Heidegger’s life, his era and philosophy have not yet been published and no comprehensive biography of the thinker has been written, it is now possible to describe, interpret, and analyse Heidegger’s intellectual heritage in more detail and concretely than ever before. The French historian Guillaume Payen has published a biography of the German philosopher, which aims to capture the historical background of Heidegger’s life and the development of his thought in a unified whole. This biography, which was published in French already in 2016, was also published in German in 2022 and will be published in English in 2023, has attracted attention among experts in the history and philosophy of the 20th century and also widely outside this narrower circle. The biography written by Payen is another attempt to look at Heidegger’s life, his relationship with 20th century political history, society, and fellow human beings sine ira et studio. Has Payen succeeded, and can this be done at all? The review of his book outlines the answers to these questions.
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