Solitude A Return to the Self (Paperback)

From the Publisher: A landmark study of the nature of solitude examines its crucial role in creativity, mourning, religious experience, and other aspects of human life; discussses enforced solitude; and argues that solitude can foster postive behavior. Reprint. 10,000 first printing. 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.