Solitude: A Return to the Self

Originally published in 1988, Anthony Storrs bestselling meditation on the creative individuals need for solitude has become a classic.A preeminent work in selfhelp and popular psychology literature, Solitude was seminal in challenging the psychological paradigm that interpersonal relationships of an intimate kind are the chief, if not the only, source of human happiness. Indeed, most selfhelp literature still places relationships at the center of human existence. Lucid and lyrical, Storrs book argues that solitude ranks alongside relationships in its impact on an individuals wellbeing and productivity, as well as on societys progress and health. Citing numerous examples of brilliant scholars and artistsfrom Beethoven and Kant to Anne Sexton and Beatrix Potterhe argues that solitary activity is essential not only for geniuses, but often for the average person as well. For nearly three decades, readers have found inspiration and renewal in Storrs erudite, compassionate vision of the human experienceand the benefits and joy of solitude.