Giorgio Agamben is a philosopher and political theorist who has been described as "one of the most vital and most discussed figures in academia". Renowned for his insights into the history and contemporary crises of Western thought, his many works include The End of the Poem (Stanford University Press), Infancy and History (Verso Books), State of Exception (The University of Chicago Press), and The Use of Bodies (Stanford University Press), the latter of which brought to a conclusion his nine-volume Homo Sacer series. Currently based in Italy, he has held a number of distinguished academic posts, including the Baruch Spinoza Chair at the European Graduate School.