Our society worships at the fountain of youth. Each year, we try to delay the arrival of old age, using everything at our disposal, from extreme exercise and botox to pilates and cosmetic dentistry. But in the process, are we missing out on a distinct and extraordinarily valuable stage of life?
Asking whether it is better to be forever young or to grin toothlessly and live an authentic old age, bestselling author Daniel Klein journeys to the Greek island of Hydra. There he draws on the lives of octogenarian Greek locals, as well as philosophers ranging from Epicurus to Sartre, to discover the secrets of ageing happily. An escapist travel memoir, a droll meditation, and an optimistic guide to living well, this is a delightful jaunt through the terrain of old age, led by a witty and uniquely perceptive modern-day sage.
Review
Reading this book after a period of overwork and high stress, I was bowled over by its easy charm and hard-won wisdom. I shall be buying it in bulk as presents for my equally overburdened peers, and I suspect a few older people will enjoy it, too. --Daily Mail
Should be a set-book for all over 60... a wry, whimsical, amusing and intelligent view of old age --Daily Telegraph blog
'An insightful meditation' --New York Times
'I was bowled over by its easy charm and hard-won wisdom.' Daily Mail '
Charming and intelligent. I enjoyed this book very much.' Diana Athill
Wry, whimsical, amusing and intelligent.' Daily Telegraph '
Charming and accessible, this philosophical survey simply and accessibly makes academic philosophy relevant to ordinary human emotion.' Kirkus Reviews '
An insightful meditation.' The New York Times'
Both seduces and delights.' Scotsman'
Klein's narrative is a delightful and spirited conversation, offering up the ingredients inherent to the art of living well in old age.' Publishers Weekly '
Funny and wry.'Huffington Post '
A truly benign and valuable short book, that is rare in conveying the spirit as well as the thought of the ancient Greek philosophers, by celebrating the wisdom that emerges in old age.' Mark Vernon, author of 42: Deep Thought on Life, the Universe and Everything'
About the Author
Daniel Klein is the co-author of the international bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. He is a Harvard graduate in philosophy and an acclaimed writer of both fiction and non-fiction. When not enjoying the slow life on Greek islands, he lives in Massachusetts with his wife. He is seventy-four years old.