The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy - Brossura

Michael Foley

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1847375243 ISBN 13: 9781847375247

Casa editrice: Simon & Schuster (General list, Trade Division), 2010

Riassunto

The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life. Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth. In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Praise for Michael Foley: 'Genuinely funny, sharp, truthful and intelligent . . . striking a blow for the value of ordinariness' -- Times Literary Supplement

'Irresistible narrative with the sort of irreverent exuberance that carries all before it' --Guardian

'Pungent, witty, perceptive . . . like Larkin, only sharper, funnier and more cynical'
--Irish Times

'Not the usual cleverclogs claptrap. Foley delivers well-judged wisdom'
--Oliver James

'Achingly funny and wise . . . vastly entertaining' --Daily Mail

`Michael Foley's entertaining, intelligent book may just help you get over yourself . . . Absurdly readable'
--Observer

'Insightful and entertaining . . . wickedly sceptical'
--Irish Examiner

'Reading Michael Foley's THE AGE OF ABSURDITY. I must be the last person in the world to read this but I'm glad I finally have, as it is fascinating. It looks at the quest for happiness and how we are getting it all wrong' --Jeremy Vine, Sunday Telegraph

L'autore:

Michael Foley was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, but since 1972 he has lived in London, working as a Lecturer in Information Technology. He has published four novels, four collections of poetry and a collection of translations from French poetry, which have earned impressive reviews from The Guardian, New Statesman and New York Times. The Age of Absurdity is his first non-fiction book.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Simon & Schuster (General list, Trade Division)
• Data di pubblicazione: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1847375243
• ISBN 13: 9781847375247
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 272