Solitude: A Return to the Self

Solitude: A Return to the Self
by Anthony Storr

Solitude: A Return to the Self
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Book Summary Information

Author: Anthony Storr
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-09-27
ISBN: 0743280741
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Free Press

Book Reviews of Solitude: A Return to the Self

Book Review: We are our own best friend
Summary: 5 Stars

Dr. Storr's sensitive and enlightening book is a penetrating reminder that we are, in the end, our own best friend. While not disparaging the value of interpersonal relationships, Storr's observations are a testament to the potential richness of solitary contemplation and communing with one's inner self. Unfortunately, this level of introspection is seen as "strange" by modern western culture. Dr. Storr bucks this tide by assuring us that the desire for solitude is perfectly normal, and even healthy.

One of my favorite sentences in the book is: "Pre-Freudian generations were more fortunate than our own in being able freely to admit 'love' for a member of the same sex, or of the opposite sex, without the implication that all love is necessarily sexual in origin" (p. 130). What a refreshing commentary in the midst of our sex-saturated modern culture. The ability to be comfortable "in one's own skin," so to speak, frees us from the modern tendency to make predictable assumptions about all intimate relationships. Dr. Storr's exploration of the many levels and types of relationships--both to the self and others, yields a rich resource for all who wish to find true fulfillment in their lives.

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of THE RED PRIEST'S ANNINA

Summary of Solitude: A Return to the Self

Originally published in 1988, Anthony Storr's enlightening meditation on the creative individual's need for solitude has become a classic.

Solitude was seminal in challenging the established belief that "interpersonal relationships of an intimate kind are the chief, if not the only, source of human happiness." Indeed, most self-help literature still places relationships at the center of human existence. Lucid and lyrical, Storr's book cites numerous examples of brilliant scholars and artists -- from Beethoven and Kant to Anne Sexton and Beatrix Potter -- to demonstrate that solitude ranks alongside relationships in its impact on an individual's well-being and productivity, as well as on society's progress and health. But solitary activity is essential not only for geniuses, says Storr; the average person, too, is enriched by spending time alone.

For fifteen years, readers have found inspiration and renewal in Storr's erudite, compassionate vision of human experience.

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