At the time of his death in 1984, at the age of 58, Michel Foucault was widely regarded as one of the most powerful minds of the 20th century. Hailed by distinguished historians and lionized on his frequent visits to America, he continues to provoke lively debate. The nature and merits of his accomplishments remain tangled in controversy. Rejecting traditional liberal and Marxist dreams of solidarity, Foucault became the very model of the modern intellectual, replacing Sartre as the figure of the eminent Parisian and cosmopolitan master thinker.