In the early 1950s, German philosopher Martin Heidegger celebrated Georg Trakl, an Austrian expressionist, as the defining poet of his generation and of the enigmatic Occident. Trakl, a tormented lyricist who tragically succumbed to a cocaine overdose during the early days of World War I, assumed a redemptive role in Heidegger’s view, succeeding Hölderlin. In Dialogue on the Threshold, which draws from Derrida’s Geschlecht series and extensive archival research, the book explores the intricate and fruitful tensions that define Heidegger’s interpretation of Trakl. Moreover, it contemplates the broader philosophical and poetic thresholds, examining concepts of unity, diversity, sameness, otherness, and the native versus the foreign. Ian Alexander Moore delves into why Heidegger hesitated to heed Trakl’s invitation to traverse these thresholds, despite the profound impact of their encounter. Notably, this encounter spurred Heidegger to delve into often-neglected themes within his philosophical work, including sexual difference, pain, animality, and Christianity. Beyond its contribution to Heidegger and Trakl studies, the book engages in the enduring debate between philosophy and poetry, culminating in new translations of eighteen Trakl poems.