Damon Young Livres

Why did Marcel Proust have bonsai beside his bed? What was Jane Austen doing, coveting an apricot? How was Friedrich Nietzsche inspired by his 'thought tree'? In Philosophy in the Garden, Damon Young explores one of literature's most intimate relationships: authors and their gardens. For some, the garden provided a retreat from workaday labour; for others, solitude's quiet counsel. For all, it played a philosophical role: giving their ideas a new life. Philosophy in the Gardenreveals the profound thoughts discovered in parks, backyards, and pot-plants. It does not provide tips for mowing overgrown couch grass, or mulching a dry Japanese maple. It is a philosophical companion to the garden's labours and joys.

The curious reader's companion to sex. 'Wit, you know, is the unexpected copulation of ideas.' Samuel Johnson Why is screwing so funny? How should we think about our most shocking fantasies? What is so captivating about nudity? Inspired by philosophy, literature, and private life, Damon Young explores the paradoxes of the bedroom. On Getting Offwill f**k with your mind.

"In The Art of Reading, philosopher Damon Young delights in the pleasures of this intimate pursuit through a rich sample of literature: from Virginia Woolf's diaries to Batman comics. He writes with honesty and humour about the blunders and revelations of his own bookish life. Devoting each chapter to a literary virtue - patience, curiosity, courage, pride, temperance, justice - The Art of Reading celebrates the reader's power: to turn hieroglyphics into a lifelong adventure."--Publisher.