I guess I disagree with the statement that when a unique thinker dies, a light goes out. if Derrida's writing is to mean anything, it will have to get by without the personality and charisma of the person. if his work can't survive his death, then it wasn't important work to begin with. and just looking at the responses on Poetics and a few blogs, it's clear that people are contending with his work now, not the person. his work has influenced people. as for me, who hasn't read Derrida, he remains a potential. I pulled out Aporia today, the only book by Derrida that I have, eager to read it (which I still may not do immediately, having other books going, but I am bolstered in my intention). I know from my scans of the B&N shelves that there's quite a lot of Derridean work available in English, presumably more in French. I think light, useful light, remains.