A wide-ranging meditation on being alone with others in 32 essays that touch on subjects such as Buddhism, hallucinogenic drug use, and Romantic poetry.
Elegant and formally ingenious ... The book as a whole resists falling into a narrative or argument ... Finishing The Art of Solitude it’s easy to feel that one must have a Ph.D. in ancient languages, a strong stomach and the money and leisure to seek out stone towers in distant lands if one wants to be properly solitary. And even then, the results may not be worth the effort.
A wide-ranging work with many poignant assertions that will appeal to those wishing to learn about more about the spiritual aspects of practicing mindfulness.
For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that 'all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone' ... Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it. A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
