Life Against Death is a work of literary theory published in 1959 by Norman O. Brown. Its theoretical basis is a synthesis of Freudian, Nietzschean & Marxist thinking. Written over half a century ago, the expansive scope of this book deconstructs the human individual & collective psyche as viewed through the lens of both history & post-Freudian thought. As is true with all classic work, its relevence demands intellectual consideration. No one has reviewed this book better than Brown himself, in the Preface: "This book is addressed to all who are ready to call into question old assumptions & entertain new possibilities. & since new ideas will not come if their entrance into the mind is subject to conformity with our old ones & with what we call common sense, this book demands of the reader--as it demanded of the author--a willing suspension of common sense. The aim is to open up an new point of view."