The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness: A True Story

Ben Izzy, Joel

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9781598875140: The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness: A True Story

ISBN 10: 1598875140 ISBN 13: 9781598875140

Publisher: HighBridge Audio, 2007

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When a storyteller loses his voice, he believes he's lost everything. In fact, he's been given a great gift.

Once upon a time, a successful storyteller lost his voice to throat cancer. Deprived of the instrument of his art and his livelihood, he retreated into dark, sullen silence and depression. While searching for a spiritual explanation, he encountered his former mentor, a cantankerous and often drunk old man. Their meetings began a journey into the timeless wisdom of ancient tales: of beggars and kings, monks and tigers, lost horses, buried treasures, and ultimately the secret of happiness.

In this altogether original book, Joel ben Izzy shares his personal account of surviving loss, gaining wisdom, and rediscovering one's true purpose. Weaving in tales he's collected over the years from Sufi, Muslim, Chinese, Jewish, Iraqi, Zen Buddhist, Italian, and Indian cultures, he passes along the lessons he has learned. As we travel with Izzy from tragedy back into light and sound, we are encouraged to see our own lives as stories, and to open our own hearts to happiness.

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From the Back Cover

The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is an altogether original true story about a storyteller who loses his voice and believes he's lost everything. An encounter with his old teacher shows him that, in fact, he's been given a great gift. Their meetings lead him on a journey into the timeless wisdom of ancient tales—a world of beggars and kings, monks and tigers, lost horses and buried treasures—and, ultimately, toward the secret of happiness.

About the Author

JOEL BEN IZZY tells stories at festivals throughout the world and has written and produced six CDs, which have won awards from the American Library Association and the Parents’ Choice Foundation. He’s been a storytelling consultant to various companies, including Hewlett-Packard, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and Pixar Animation Studios. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and two children.

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