Hermits
The Insights of Solitude
1st Edition
Published on 30. September 2014
256 pages
978-1-4735-1163-7 (ISBN)
Description
Ours is an age where solitude tends to be discussed in the context of the 'problem of loneliness'. However in previous ages the capacity to seek fulfillment outside society has been admired and seen as a measure of discernment and inner security. In this lucid and highly readable book, Peter France shows how hermits, from the Taoists and Ancient Greeks to the present day, have something vitally important to say to a society that fears solitude.
Reviews / Votes
This wonderful book is many things by turn: history, biography, philosophy, theology and even a spiritual textbook. With deft and approachable analysis, France lays out a cosmology of the eremetic impulse...The author's wit, discernment and sweet reason for spellbinding. * Literary Review * Hermits is informative in a variety of ways and it is clearly and enagingly written, with a wealth of anecdote to leaven the spirtitual insights and the psychology of conversion. -- Barry Unsworth * Sunday Telegraph * This is a fine study of some outstanding hermits and a treasury of the wisdom which they bequeathed to posterity. * Tablet * Vividly written and highly accessible, it abounds in insights both spiritual and psychological. * Spectator *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Random House (Digital)
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
File size
0,45 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4735-1163-7 (9781473511637)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/1997
Pimlico
€32.38
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Person
Peter France spent the first 15 years of his working life as a civil servant in the Fiji Islands. After a spell as an academic, he joined the BBC, first in radio where he launched and presented Kaleidoscope, and later in television, where he wrote and presented programmes such as Everyman and Timewatch. His most recent books are The Rape of Egypt and Greek as a Treat. He lives in Devon but spends much of his time on the Greek island of Patmos.
