Michel Foucault's 1969 essay "What is an Author?" sidesteps the stormy arguments surrounding "intentional fallacy" and the "death of the author", offering an entirely different way of looking at texts. Foucault points out that all texts are written but not all are discussed as having "authors". So what is special about "authored" texts? And what makes an "author" different to other kinds of text-producers? From its deceptively simple titular question, Foucault?s essay offers a complex argument for viewing authors and their texts as objects. A challenging, thought-provoking piece, it is one of the most influential literary essays of the twentieth century.

Dr Tim Smith-Laing took his DPhil in English literature at Merton College, Oxford, and has held positions at Jesus College, Oxford, and Sciences Po in Paris.