num_pages: 216
description: 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.
language: English
title: Solitude: A Return to the Self
titlecomplete: Solitude: A Return to the Self
genres: Self Help, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, Mental Health, Personal Development, Psychology, Spirituality, Health, Writing, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 2078
publisher: Free Press