I wanted to do this task but I felt that perhaps there was another way to reach Zizek than just googling him and shooting out an email. However, in looking deeper for Zizek, I found another Zizek with very strong academic credentials, an antipodean Zizek. Joseph Zizek is a Senior Lecturer in history at the University of Auckland with expertise in the history of the French Revolution. Dr. Zizek has published an important article on the work and ambitions of Jean-Paul Marat entitled "Marat: Historian of the French Revolution?" (available in pdf here) What I found particularly noteworthy from the piece are certain parallels I believe that could be drawn between the era and behaviors of Marat and the present time of crisis in which we live. I also believe a connection does exist between the other Zizek, Lacan, the drive, Marat, and Dr. Zizek from Auckland. I wrote to him to ask about this very subject. I believe I have fulfilled the letter and spirit of this task insofar as it does not specify which Zizek we should ask and because I think Joe Zizek has sufficiently proved himself as a scholar to be worth asking the question to. However, what I think particularly distinguishes my completion of the task is that Dr. Joseph Zizek wrote me back. I've appended our exchange below and will update this task as the correspondence continues. As you can see, on their calendar it is a difficult time for him to reply in depth (Which, I say regretfully, hopefully gives you pause if you could be thinking about following the same route, out of courtesy to Dr. Zizek. Perhaps the rigors of academia explain why what the other--dare I say lesser?--Zizek is not responding to other SF0 attempts to reach him)

June 1
Dear Dr. Zizek,

I have been tasked to "Contact Zizek to determine his stand on the Drive." I started researching and on the internet, this generally leads one to Slavoj Zizek. He of course is the increasingly well-known, and thus paradoxically increasingly inaccessible, philosopher and cultural critic. Upon digging a little deeper into the Zizek name, I found you. Specifically I found your work, "Marat: Historian of the French Revolution?"

I think it's a terrifically interesting piece, which I will relay to my research and analysis group shortly! But I also wanted to make contact with you and ask you a couple questions. I'm sure you are a busy professor, with perhaps other things on your mind. Here in the U.S., it is the end of our regular school year, giving me time from my theology studies to pursue other lines of academic inquiry. If you have a similar academic calendar in New Zealand, you might have a little extra time to spare. Perhaps you would be willing to participate in a brief correspondence? I will try to make it fruitful.

Three passages of your Marat article particularly interested me.

First was the early section on L'ecole du citoyen as a marker of tension between "the ingredients that made Marat an infamous figure during the Revolution: denunciation, paranoia, extreme verbal violence" and his "desire...to offer his readers a 'history' of contemporary events."

Second, your slight moderating of Baker's argument that "the collapse of the ancien regime removed the institutional and intellectual constraints on what had formerly been a 'discourse of opposition,' enabling Marat's fear of popular lassitude and corrupting governments to be projected into the unbounded revolutionary future as the recurrent denunciation of enemies."

This brings us my third point of interest, whereby I felt like we DO have common ground for asking you, not just the other Zizek about the Drive. The other Zizek wrote this dense thing about Lacan and drive as an acephalic knowledge: "Truth and knowledge are thus related as desire and drive: interpretation aims at the truth of the subject's desire, while construction provides knowledge about drive." (http://lacan.com/zizek-desire.htm)

Thus between two Zizeks, I think Marat resonates for this task today: "Marat (...) inveighing against the mentality that required absolute proof(...) 'you always need proof positive, clear and precise. For me, their inaction or their silence on great occasions is sufficient.' (...) For Marat, the true significance of events is revealed only as part of a process unfolding over time (...) Marat repeatedly differentiated between observational facts that could easily be apprehended by everyone--such as a simple sequence of events--and facts that required deeper powers of penetration, which required the observer to plumb hidden motivations"

Wow, sir! What do YOU think? What is your stand on the Drive? Is it possible that Marat gestures at the larger philosophical matter of the drive? Do you think there are parallels between this deranged era in which we find ourselves and that of the French Revolution? Is it appropriate to see in Marat a prefiguring of present-day commentators and "patriots?"

I wrote a couple of supporting paragraphs drawing parallels between the selected passages and our mass media, particularly America's patriotic pundits and Fox News, but I cut those and wanted to save you some time and also address what you think about the Drive. We can talk about that stuff later.

I look forward to your correspondence and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jon S. Olsen
Burn Unit
The Humanitarian Crisis Group, SF0
---------------

June 7 followup email:
Dear Dr. Zizek,

Last week I emailed you with some questions about your Marat article and your stand on the drive. I just wanted to follow up on that message. I realize my missive was quite lengthy and that it may have come on a little enthusiastic. Please know that I treat your time and academic work very seriously. As a scholar of French history and someone who no doubt has a
considered and noteworthy opinion even on "popular" theoretics of the contemporary era, I sincerely would like to ascertain your stance on the drive. Particularly if you think we might have something of a connection between the post-Lacan era and the intellectual environment of Marat.

In any case, if you haven't, feel free to re-read my earlier message and perhaps we can discuss in detail. I look forward to your correspondence and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jon S. Olsen
Burn Unit
The Humanitarian Crisis Group, SF0
-----------------------------

In my inbox tonight, June 7, this:
Dear Jon (if I may),

Thanks for the message and follow-up. I will reply at length, but (because of the antipodean academic calendar) I'm now at the busiest part of my semester, marking final exams and essays. I'll respond when that's out of the way. Apologies for not replying sooner.

No need to acknowledge this note.

Best wishes,
Joe


Joseph Zizek
Senior Lecturer in History
Private Bag 92019
University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand 1001
tel. 64-9-373-7599 ext 88852
fax. 64-9-373-7438
email j.zizek@auckland.ac.nz