Paper Machine is roughly the English equivalent of Derrida’s 2001 book, Papier

machine, translated very capably by Rachel Bowlby. This English edition is without
several chapters from the French text (which appear in English elsewhere); to make up
for the loss, the English edition adds a translation of (the previously untranslated)
“Fichus,” Derrida’s address in Frankfurt upon receiving the Adorno prize in 2001. The
pieces are all occasional, previously appearing in a number of venues, especially
newspapers and other French periodicals, and often merely summarizing or restating
themes and arguments developed more rigorously in Derrida’s other works. The
collection is only loosely organized around themes of “papers” (particularly those who
are sans papiers, undocumented aliens “without papers,” without identification). Some
of the pieces (e.g., ch. 4) are quite indulgent; others (e.g., ch. 8) too decontextualized to
make much sense here. The “Fichus” chapter, however, saves the volume from being
simply optional.