Travels with Epicurus
A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of an Authentic Old Age
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of an Authentic Old Age is a humourous, uplifting meditation on finding the pleasures of old age, by the New York Times bestselling co-author of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar.
When philosopher, jokester and septuagenarian Daniel Klein goes to the dentist for a regular check-up, he is informed that he needs a section of his lower teeth removed and replaced with either a denture plate or implants. The implants would require frequent trips to the dentist over the course of a year, a lot of money and a lot of pain. The denture plate on the other hand would leave Klein with the unmistakable clunky smile of an old man.
Though Klein initially opts for the implants he soon questions his decision. Is it better to a spend a precious year trying to extend the prime of his life, or to live an authentic old age, toothless grin and all?
Klein decided the answer lay in a place where people seemed to know the secret to a long, happy and healthy life—Greece. He travels there with a library of his favourite philosophers and observes other septuagenarians and octogenarians, and contemplates his own life, particularly seeking out wisdom from renowned hedonist Epicurus.
From that journey comes a sincere and humorous book on aging and an Epicurean way of living.
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.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable Read That I May Come Back to When I’m Old
Enjoyable read but probably more relatable and enjoyable for those at a later stage of life. That said, it did get me to think about my life now as well as when I am older.
I was also hoping for a book that was more focused on epicurean philosophy however the reader draws on other philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, the Stoics and more modern philosophers too.