The son two of shoemakers, Gaston Bachelard had an illustrious academic career at the Sorbonne, eventually gaining the Legion d'Honneur and the Grand Prix National des Lettres. His work has influenced intellectual titans like Foucault, Merleau-Ponty, Deleuze and Althusser.
Mark Z. Danielewski is best known for his striking debut novel, House of Leaves.
Richard Kearney is the Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College.