"Foucault was the one person I met in France that I could talk to. He was a mensch. You know whether you agree with him or not because you know what he is saying"

This quote by Leslie Fiedler speaks to the character of the French theorist Michel Foucault. Fiedler is suggesting that Foucault was a person of stability and someone who could be relied on. He was a "mensch," a Yiddish term for an individual of honor and regard. Fiedler suggests that Foucault was someone who might be engaged in meaningful conversation, and that his words might be taken at face value. He was an individual who might be depended speak his mind and stand by his beliefs, despite whether one concurred with him or not. This quote speaks to the character of Foucault and his capability to participate in significant discussion. It also speaks with the respect that Fiedler had for Foucault and his concepts.