A World in RuinsIn certain key respects, 1943 marked a turning point in the war. Increasingly, victory seemed assured. However, the backdrop to this gradually improving situation was one of widespread and unremitting destruction. In the essays from that year, Blanchot writes from a position of almost total detachment from day to day events, now that all of his projects and involvements have come to naught. As he explores and promotes works of literature and ideas, he