Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series) - Hardcover

Klein, Daniel

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9781410455659: Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410455653 ISBN 13: 9781410455659

Publisher: Thorndike Press, 2013

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The co-author of Plato and a Platypus describes how he journeyed to Greece with a suitcase full of philosophy books in order to learn how to achieve a fulfilling old age, explaining how he came to regard old age as a valuable life stage filled with simple and heady pleasures. (philosophy).

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About the Author:

Daniel Klein is the coauthor (with Thomas Cathcart) of the international bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar and Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates. The author or coauthor of thirty other books, including The Half-Jewish Book, the Elvis Presley mystery series (Kill Me Tender, Blue Suede Clues), and the award-winning novel The History of Now, Klein holds a degree in philosophy from Harvard University and lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife, Freke Vuijst.

From Publishers Weekly:

Following a trip to his dentist, 73-year-old Klein considers his options after being advised that he needs tooth implants or a denture. Klein (Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar) opts for a sojourn to the Greek island of Hydra. Accompanied by a suitcase crammed with philosophy books, Klein contemplates the Greek philosopher Epicurus' pivotal question. He fundamentally wanted to know how to make the most of his one life, writes Klein. Eschewing the forever young treadmill many American's embrace, Klein explores a different path, examining the relaxed Greek lifestyle surrounding him. He laments what's lost in the frantic rush to stay youthful: And we have no time left for a calm and reflective appreciation of our twilight years, no deliciously long afternoons sitting with friends or listening to music or musing about the story of our lives. The author ruminates on the benefits of freeing ourselves from the prison of everyday affairs; the pleasures of companionship in old age; battling boredom; the difference between sexual urges and sexual nostalgia; and the value of facing death blissfully. Along the way, Klein touches on the ideas of Bertrand Russell, Erik Erikson, Aristotle, and William James. Klein's narrative is a delightful and spirited conversation, offering up the ingredients inherent to the art of living well in old age. Agent: Julia Lord. (Nov.)

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