“The Philosophy of Improvisation is like Lewis Hyde’s The Gift; it is a book that academics and general readers will find both stimulating and enjoyable. It is a prodigious rethinking of the philosophical problem of improvisation, which brings together an impressive range of thinkers—Adorno, Deleuze, Derrida, Heidegger and Levinas, among others—but does so with a light touch. It is a terrific book.”

Ian Buchanan, Cardiff University

“Gary Peters draws on many sources to construct a model of improvisation that is true to the experience as attested by artists and yet escapes the criticisms that various theorists have leveled against the idea of improvisation. Laced with bits of humor, satire, and irony, this is a work of considerable imagination.”

John Sallis, Boston College

“This is an unusual book on improvisation: a genuinely philosophical contribution to the literature. . . .It’s impossible to summarise the book’s many ingenious arguments in the space of a short review—this is a rich and intriguing discussion.”

Andy Hamilton | The Wire

"This aptly titled work considers not the how-to of improvisation but rather the motivations and meaning behind spontaneous creation. . . . A work for anyone who teaches or wishes to reflect on the creative process."

Choice