Synopses & Reviews
;-) By Australia’s greatest contemporary author, an elegant, succinct meditation on what makes for a happy life.
“Happiness surely is among the simplest of human emotions and the most spontaneous,” says David Malouf. But what exactly are we looking for when we chase happiness? At this particular moment in history, privileged, industrialized nations have lessened much of what makes us unhappy: widespread poverty, illness, famine. Yet we are still unfulfilled, turning increasingly to yoga, church, Match.com, drugs, clinical therapy and retail therapy. What is at the root of our collective stress, and how can we find our way to contentment?
Drawing on mythology, philosophy, art and literature, Malouf traces our conception of happiness throughout history, distilling centuries of thought into a lucid narrative. He discusses the creation myths of ancient Greece and the philosophical schools of Athens, analyzes Thomas Jefferson’s revolutionary declaration that “the pursuit of happiness” is a right, explores the celebration of sensual delight in Rembrandt and Rubens and offers a perceptive take on a modern society growing larger and more impersonal.
With wisdom and insight, Malouf investigates that simplest, most spontaneous of feelings and urges us to do the same.
Synopsis
By arguably Australia's greatest author, a succinct and intense meditation on what makes a happy life."Happiness surely is among the simplest of human emotions and the most spontaneous," begins David Malouf. But, what is it exactly that we're looking for when we chase happiness? At this unique moment in history when privileged, industrialized nations have diminished much of what makes us unhappy—illness, famine—why are we still unable to find happiness, resorting instead to yoga, church, match.com, drugs, clinical therapy, and retail therapy?
Malouf doesn't have a quick fix on offer. Instead he takes us through an exploration of happiness consulting with, among many others, Kant, Plato, Aristotle, Heidegger, and Thomas Jefferson, who he argues may have first divided the notion of "happiness" from material satisfaction when he crafted his most famous demand: "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
The Happy Life is at once a penetrating, entertaining, and eminently readable work.
Synopsis
By Australia’s greatest contemporary author, an elegant, succinct meditation on what makes for a happy life. ;-)
“Happiness surely is among the simplest of human emotions and the most spontaneous,” says David Malouf. But what exactly are we looking for when we chase happiness? At this particular moment in history, privileged, industrialized nations have lessened much of what makes us unhappy: widespread poverty, illness, famine. Yet we are still unfulfilled, turning increasingly to yoga, church, Match.com, drugs, clinical therapy and retail therapy. What is at the root of our collective stress, and how can we find our way to contentment?
Drawing on mythology, philosophy, art and literature, Malouf traces our conception of happiness throughout history, distilling centuries of thought into a lucid narrative. He discusses the creation myths of ancient Greece and the philosophical schools of Athens, analyzes Thomas Jefferson’s revolutionary declaration that “the pursuit of happiness” is a right, explores the celebration of sensual delight in Rembrandt and Rubens and offers a perceptive take on a modern society growing larger and more impersonal.
With wisdom and insight, Malouf investigates that simplest, most spontaneous of feelings and urges us to do the same.
About the Author
David Malouf is the author of eleven novels in addition to bountiful collections of stories, poetry, and opera libretti.