Thank you for your open-mindedness! My life is devoted solely to music, reading, and my cat, and it pretty much ends there. Okay, there is my job, which I love, but my social life is taken up solely by the three things I mentioned. It's emphatically not for everybody, but it makes me astonishingly happy.
I read "Train Dreams" by Denis Johnson in 2022, a slim collection of stories about a man who, after suffering loss, essentially lives alone on his land. I began to think a great deal about this topic. I am currently a caregiver for both my Mother and Father, and, since they are separated, I go between the two, and am often quite busy without time for myself. I have pondered the idea of solitude a great deal. Just the quiet, the truly being alone with one's thoughts.
I some times think I would like to live a life of solitary maybe not this extreme but be able to hibernate in my home as much as I want with out having to go out. Unfortunately I need money to live so I must go out into the real world 5 days a week.
I am currently reading The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker (I am reading it in Dutch, but it has been translated in English), about a woman who moves from the Netherlands to Wales without telling anyone. I am not sure yet wat to make of the story, but I always love the way Bakker writes nature into his stories and in this story it is also interesting how the woman seeks solitude, but also seems to feel uncomfortable being alone. Added Tides to my tbr list, thanks for this interesting video!
I just read The Wall by Marlen Haushofer, written in 1963, which is similar to this idea of "solitary living" if you take the choice out of it. It's about a women who finds herself in the Austrian Alps, surrounded by an invisible wall, and it seems as though everyone on the other side of wall has perished. The novel is very existential; what makes life worth living, especially if everyone you ever loved is probably gone, what (if anything) makes humans special or different than other life around us. And it's usually described as an important feminist novel, exploring themes of independence and basically saying the ONLY way a woman could live a life free from the judging eyes of the world would be if the rest of the world simply ceased to exist. It's really incredible!
@@Weirder_the_better It made a bit impact on me too!! I was super grateful that New Directions had reissued it, because I hadn't heard of it before that!
I loved Ladder of Years, I think it was my first Anne Tyler and pushed me to read many more of her novels. I think taking on this life is very different depending on whether you have money, as in Jonathan Dee’s book or not as in Tides, the anxiety of having to provide for yourself must make for an entirely different experience. Ironically I think there are many people around the world, especially older people who have this experience without desiring it, a life with no friends, family or real human contact, no money to buy much more than food and power and that makes me think that although this life sounds appealing in many ways, particularly the simplicity aspect, removing yourself from society might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
I'm so glad you found Ladder of Years so impactful as well. And yes, it's very true about the lonely life many experience without wanting it. When I was an adolescent I joined an "adopt a grandparent" programme where I'd spend time each week with a man named Cliff in his 80s in a retirement home who had no family and few friends. We didn't talk much but would spend time going for walks. It was such a pleasure and I remember him saying how much he appreciated my visits. I think the concept of such solitude is often more appealing than the experience of it - not to mention the pain removing yourself from the lives of those who love you might cause. I meant to discuss this aspect more in the video.
Great point. Brought to mind A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Aguolusa about an elderly woman who withdraws into solitude during the Angolan Civil War. She is a dedicated reader too
It was a great discussion Eric and I’m glad you got to be there for someone who was lonely, my sister does a similar thing in Britain where you spend time with older people who don’t have anyone, it’s such a good idea.
A book that came out last year that fits perfectly here that didn’t seem to get any traction on social media much at all is One’s Company. The protagonists experiences some heavy trauma, and when she wins the lottery she secretly disappears and goes off and has a complete replica of all the sets, costumes and props of the TV show Three’s Company built so she can live out the rest of her life alone pretending to be each of the characters for about a year at a time. As someone who grew up on Three’s Company I was fascinated by it and it’s great premise. I can see why most likely it wouldn’t have caught on in the UK much, or even if it was published there as most likely the show didn’t make it or have much impact there. Overall, it was a strong book, but personally I was expecting and wanted it to end a different way.
Wow, this sounds like the perfect novel for me - especially because I wrote a novel about a woman entranced by 'I Love Lucy'. I remember seeing some of Three's Company when I was very young. I don't think Hutson's novel has been published here but I've added it to my list and hope to read it at some point.
No more letters, no more emails, no more headaches, i love it! but they do still come every once in awhile because you might have detached yourself from the system so to speak but the system isn't willing to detach from you completely.
Thank you for this very interesting discussion! I recently read a graphic novel called Alone by Christophe Chaboute. It is about a recluse who lives in a lighthouse and has never left the rock on which it sits. His only company is a goldfish and his main pass time is opening a dictionary at random and imagining the words it describes. I found the book beautiful, not only in its pain-staking depictions of the sea, the lighthouse, the seagulls, but also due to its portrayal of isolation. The book shows both the human longing for others and also the comfort and safety in words and the power of the imagination to take you where you are too scared to go. I think the book concludes that although words can do something to free you from the prison of solitude, ultimately our need for connection cannot be overcome. But I would be interested to hear other people's interpretations of the book because it is hard to find detailed reviews. Anyway, long ramble over, I would recommend the book if you are at all into graphic novel (and even if you are not, it is a very quick and compelling read!)
Chaboute's book sounds so good and I've been wanting to read more graphic novels. Thank you! It's interesting how lighthouse living almost becomes synonymous with the concept of solitude. Joyce Carol Oates wrote a great short story fictionalising the end of Edgar Allan Poe's life where he lived in a lighthouse and gradually lost his marbles.
Having read Walden a couple of times I found my way to A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland, a non-fiction tale of how she decided to live most of her days in solitude. It had a profound affect on me and continues to resonate.
Into The Wild is the book that also came to me when I listened to the intro to this video. It’s a sad end to one man’s story but the pursuit of independent living is intriguing
Your beautiful selection reminded me of The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. It was the first book for me to deal with the subject of loneliness. It can also be considered an autotheory, because she connects her own experience with the life stories of various artists of the past century. One of my all time favorites!
Your discussion of these books reminded me of a book I had read a long time ago, the unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kudera. In it the writer claims that there comes a time in our lives when we have to choose lightness meaning choosing a life without strings attached, a life of freedom or a life of heaviness or weight if you will meaning a life when you try to form connections with other people, thus renouncing your freedom. I chose heaviness for myself but sometimes I doubt I made the right choice.
Some of these books sound interesting to me as someone who chooses quite a quiet life myself, particularly the Ladder Of Years and Tides. I have read Walden and I found it an interesting viewpoint on living thoughtfully in America at that time. Eric, I would like to recommend to you a book on your theme of isolation that I think you may like, it’s titled Wittgenstein’s Mistress by David Markson. The book covers many different philosophical themes including loneliness, abandonment, loss, betrayal and the faultiness of memory. The narrator Kate who believes herself entirely alone in the world types out a series of first person statement expressing views on the nature of what it is to be alive and live inwardly through the 20th century.
I hope you get to read those two books at some point; they're really worth it. I've had Markson's book on my shelf for YEARS and never got around to it for some reason. Thanks for the reminder. The way you describe it makes it sound like something I'd really connect with.
I read Woodswoman, a memoir by Dr. Anne LaBastille, about her life in a cabin she built and lived in for decades in the Adirondack wilderness in the 1960’s. She followed up with a book every decade, four in all, while she lived there. She was a writer for National Geographic. Her cabin was moved to a museum after she died ten years ago. She does talk about why she chose to live isolated, no roads in or out, only boat or jet ski options to reach her.
The cover of your _Sugar Street_ really calls to me. And I love the Anne Tyler anecdote. Your theme today resonates with me; it occurs to me that a lot of novels deal with some kind of solitude.
I felt like the novel Pan by Knut Hamsun tackled that idea, and brought it down to earth. How man simply cannot retreat away from civilization and also hope to retain a form of stability.
I love Anne Tyler so thank you for her book I missed the one you presented. There are many ways of walking out on your life. I moved to Hawaii at 26 As far away from my life in New York as I could go. Of course there’s some truth and wherever you go there you are. You can’t really run away from yourself but you canEscape an untenable life.Aloha
What fascinating books ! I love books about Solitary living. My all time favorite is a non fiction/ journal : May Sarton's - A Journal of A Solitude. I have struggled to find fiction books that focus on a solitary life - thanks for the recommendations.
I'm really interested in this topic and I think probably as society today where you feel always connected to people (through the lense of social media) can in reality feel quite lonely, like looking at life through an opague window, not to mention the decisions that are made by others that frame our lives that we have little control over. I would also mention unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, as not actually in lime with those you mention, it does have a rejecting society element to it and living as outsiders
Absolutely, it's a modern dilemma for so many people to have that kind of online connection but no physical interaction. And yes, Unsettled Ground is so moving in how it presents that kind of isolation. That the family lived in a harmonious way in their isolation but after the mother's death in the beginning it throws that solitary life off kilter.
I'd like to add The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding , set in 1616 about a seaman who voluntarily spends a winter in the Arctic . Stunning .
I sometimes want to get away and be alone, but I know I wouldn't last more than a week without my family. I want to read several books in your list, especially Tides and Ladder of Years.
Yes, I think the concept of it is probably more appealing than the experience for so many people. Hope you get a chance to read those 2 books at some point.
Listen to Ajahn Sona, a Canadian Buddhist monk, who lived as a hermit for many years, now is the abbot of Birken Monastery, has many excellent teachings on UA-cam, full of wisdom and compassion.
I loved Ladder of Years! I need to re read it. I have noted Tides for future reading and I have Walden on my shelf but haven’t read that yet. Thanks , Eric , for a thought provoking selection, and discussion. I am an introvert but could not be a hermit or isolate myself from society or family… although there are times…. Haha.
Although eerie, this notion of complete solitude has always entranced me in many ways. Actually I’ve had many ideas quite like the one presented in Walden. Never read any of those books but they do sound interesting. Of course Walden also makes me remember Into the Wild
Ladder of Years has long been a FAVORITE of mine and Tides is a more recent beloved. (Sugar Street is still on my TBR list.) I'm horrified that I've never read Ionesco's The Hermit. On it! [How absurd: I worked with Martin Esslin in the 1970's while working in theater and I earned a degree in French; I've no viable excuse!] Thanks for helping me to re-prioritize, Eric! I'm currently enjoying Seethaler's A Whole Life. (2016) tr Charlotte Collins. I'm also enjoying Kuang's Babel, and assorted works by Maeve Brennan, from her NYer Talk of the town writing (c. 1960's) to short stories set in her native Dublin. [I'm also reading Mediterranean and Caribbean cookbooks and doing yoga, as if I could outlive my TBR list LOL.]
I always enjoy your thoughtful reviews, and this is no exception, thanks! A very, very good non-fiction take on this theme is "The Stranger In The Woods" by Michael Finkel. Highly recommended!
Walden by Thoreau! All day yesterday I was googling and trying to find this. It's like someone has erased it from my memory and I had to find this and I only had a few clues and they didn't help. Amazing.
Funny that a week ago, I asked my self how could we live without utility services for example: the tragedy at Buffalo, New York. Now, for Responsable people taking care of others, just walk away isn't a real option but a tempting one 😂
I just read Sugar Street and enjoyed it till the third act when I stopped rooting for the guy. I did enjoy the shot across the bow at James Patterson though. If you haven't read Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees I would add it to the list.
Have you read or heard of Against Nature, the 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans? I began reading it but haven't had a chance to finish it yet. Here's a plot synopsis: "The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The last scion of an aristocratic family, Des Esseintes loathes nineteenth-century bourgeois society and tries to retreat into an ideal artistic world of his own creation. The narrative is almost entirely a catalogue of the neurotic Des Esseintes's aesthetic tastes, musings on literature, painting, and religion, and hyperaesthesic sensory experiences."
What a fascinating topic for a video , loved this. Must get round to the Anne Tyler and Walden! Some of the recommendations in the comments are also really useful. I think many of us like a,period of solitude - just to read!
Hi, Eric! I always enjoy your videos, brimming with fascination and great recs as they always are, and this one was the perfect one to see after a terrible day - so thank you for that. You might enjoy Abraham Joshua Heschel's book "The Prophets." His prose is dense and heavy, but also passionate and moving. You, Leaf by Leaf, Hardcover Hearts, and Better Than Food are my go-to book channels for great recs and lovely discourse. Thanks so much!!!
Did you read *Seven Steeples*, Eric? It's about solitary living shared by two. My response to that book was not what I thought it would be, but I'd be interested in what you might think of it.
Interesting video! I'm definitely drawn to the eremetical life albeit truly in a Christian manner; any other way would not make sense to me personally. I do believe that unconsciously those living any type of solitary life are seeking greater union with the Creator.
A well known and successful lawyer here in Newcastle, Australia, abandoned his career and decided to live on the streets in the inner city despite owning several properties several decades ago. I’m not sure what happened to him, but he wouldn’t accept food from strangers, and concerned welfare officers did try to get him back into one of his houses but he wouldn’t return. I wonder what his former life was like and if he was happy, or if he’s happier now. I couldn’t fathom being homeless when you have money and houses. It’s beyond me.
No, I haven't read any of those but am of course familiar with many of the authors, like Beatty and Ionesco. However, I did the other day re-read the story of Jonah (and the whale), who rather than become persecuted obeying God's command to warn the people of Ninevah of certain destruction, he runs away to a ship. The ship is almost immediately besieged by great storm, and when the mariners discover Jonah is running away from his life they throw him overboard, where he is swallowed by a whale (and lives therein for three days).
I have a book of nonfiction to share with you--A Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. This true story of a hermit in Maine does not involve "privilege" ( a totally overused and ill-defined word) and won some awards, I believe. I hope you'll look into it, it's a quick read and I'm aware you don't read so much nonfiction from the States anymore. ☺️💜
and bringing his laundry home each week for his mother to do! or at least close to that. lol...must read 'ladder of years' don't know how i missed it...
Thank you for your open-mindedness! My life is devoted solely to music, reading, and my cat, and it pretty much ends there. Okay, there is my job, which I love, but my social life is taken up solely by the three things I mentioned. It's emphatically not for everybody, but it makes me astonishingly happy.
I would say that I am the same. Hurray for you and for being happy.
Sounds great 🥰
Same for me! Except I have a dog instead of a cat.
I believe learning to be alone successfully is one the greatest gifts a human can give themselves
Yes
I read "Train Dreams" by Denis Johnson in 2022, a slim collection of stories about a man who, after suffering loss, essentially lives alone on his land. I began to think a great deal about this topic. I am currently a caregiver for both my Mother and Father, and, since they are separated, I go between the two, and am often quite busy without time for myself. I have pondered the idea of solitude a great deal. Just the quiet, the truly being alone with one's thoughts.
I loved train dreams💖💖
I some times think I would like to live a life of solitary maybe not this extreme but be able to hibernate in my home as much as I want with out having to go out. Unfortunately I need money to live so I must go out into the real world 5 days a week.
Yeah, I think a lot of people have this inclination. If only we all had financial independence but, of course, not possible!
I am currently reading The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker (I am reading it in Dutch, but it has been translated in English), about a woman who moves from the Netherlands to Wales without telling anyone. I am not sure yet wat to make of the story, but I always love the way Bakker writes nature into his stories and in this story it is also interesting how the woman seeks solitude, but also seems to feel uncomfortable being alone.
Added Tides to my tbr list, thanks for this interesting video!
I just read The Wall by Marlen Haushofer, written in 1963, which is similar to this idea of "solitary living" if you take the choice out of it. It's about a women who finds herself in the Austrian Alps, surrounded by an invisible wall, and it seems as though everyone on the other side of wall has perished. The novel is very existential; what makes life worth living, especially if everyone you ever loved is probably gone, what (if anything) makes humans special or different than other life around us. And it's usually described as an important feminist novel, exploring themes of independence and basically saying the ONLY way a woman could live a life free from the judging eyes of the world would be if the rest of the world simply ceased to exist. It's really incredible!
1000000% would love to echo this recommendation! I just finished it as well and it had such an impact on me.
That's such an interesting concept and I'd not heard of this novel before. Thank you!
@@Weirder_the_better It made a bit impact on me too!! I was super grateful that New Directions had reissued it, because I hadn't heard of it before that!
I loved Ladder of Years, I think it was my first Anne Tyler and pushed me to read many more of her novels. I think taking on this life is very different depending on whether you have money, as in Jonathan Dee’s book or not as in Tides, the anxiety of having to provide for yourself must make for an entirely different experience. Ironically I think there are many people around the world, especially older people who have this experience without desiring it, a life with no friends, family or real human contact, no money to buy much more than food and power and that makes me think that although this life sounds appealing in many ways, particularly the simplicity aspect, removing yourself from society might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
That’s a great point regarding the solitude of those who may not actually wish it.
I'm so glad you found Ladder of Years so impactful as well. And yes, it's very true about the lonely life many experience without wanting it. When I was an adolescent I joined an "adopt a grandparent" programme where I'd spend time each week with a man named Cliff in his 80s in a retirement home who had no family and few friends. We didn't talk much but would spend time going for walks. It was such a pleasure and I remember him saying how much he appreciated my visits.
I think the concept of such solitude is often more appealing than the experience of it - not to mention the pain removing yourself from the lives of those who love you might cause. I meant to discuss this aspect more in the video.
Great point. Brought to mind A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Aguolusa about an elderly woman who withdraws into solitude during the Angolan Civil War. She is a dedicated reader too
It was a great discussion Eric and I’m glad you got to be there for someone who was lonely, my sister does a similar thing in Britain where you spend time with older people who don’t have anyone, it’s such a good idea.
@@hesterdunlop3982 that’s a great example Hester, I just read that this summer.
A book that came out last year that fits perfectly here that didn’t seem to get any traction on social media much at all is One’s Company. The protagonists experiences some heavy trauma, and when she wins the lottery she secretly disappears and goes off and has a complete replica of all the sets, costumes and props of the TV show Three’s Company built so she can live out the rest of her life alone pretending to be each of the characters for about a year at a time. As someone who grew up on Three’s Company I was fascinated by it and it’s great premise. I can see why most likely it wouldn’t have caught on in the UK much, or even if it was published there as most likely the show didn’t make it or have much impact there. Overall, it was a strong book, but personally I was expecting and wanted it to end a different way.
Wow, this sounds like the perfect novel for me - especially because I wrote a novel about a woman entranced by 'I Love Lucy'. I remember seeing some of Three's Company when I was very young. I don't think Hutson's novel has been published here but I've added it to my list and hope to read it at some point.
No more letters, no more emails, no more headaches, i love it! but they do still come every once in awhile because you might have detached yourself from the system so to speak but the system isn't willing to detach from you completely.
I definitely need my alone time in my garden and reading indoors! Thanks for the book review!
😊🌳📚
Thank you for this very interesting discussion!
I recently read a graphic novel called Alone by Christophe Chaboute. It is about a recluse who lives in a lighthouse and has never left the rock on which it sits. His only company is a goldfish and his main pass time is opening a dictionary at random and imagining the words it describes. I found the book beautiful, not only in its pain-staking depictions of the sea, the lighthouse, the seagulls, but also due to its portrayal of isolation. The book shows both the human longing for others and also the comfort and safety in words and the power of the imagination to take you where you are too scared to go. I think the book concludes that although words can do something to free you from the prison of solitude, ultimately our need for connection cannot be overcome. But I would be interested to hear other people's interpretations of the book because it is hard to find detailed reviews.
Anyway, long ramble over, I would recommend the book if you are at all into graphic novel (and even if you are not, it is a very quick and compelling read!)
Chaboute's book sounds so good and I've been wanting to read more graphic novels. Thank you! It's interesting how lighthouse living almost becomes synonymous with the concept of solitude. Joyce Carol Oates wrote a great short story fictionalising the end of Edgar Allan Poe's life where he lived in a lighthouse and gradually lost his marbles.
What an interesting a genre... The Anne Tyler book about a woman who abandons her life to read all day sounds particularly interesting.
It’s so good! I hope you get a chance to read it.
Having read Walden a couple of times I found my way to A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland, a non-fiction tale of how she decided to live most of her days in solitude. It had a profound affect on me and continues to resonate.
That's great, I'll look up Maitland's book. Thank you!
Great thoughtful recommendations Eric. Appreciate you!
Thank you! 😊📚
It's non-fiction but I often think of Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer as falling into this category. It gives me the same feels.
Yes! That's such a moving story that had a big impact on me.
Into The Wild is the book that also came to me when I listened to the intro to this video. It’s a sad end to one man’s story but the pursuit of independent living is intriguing
I so enjoyed this selection today. Your commentary after sharing the books was important; needed!
Thank you! 😊📚
Your beautiful selection reminded me of The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. It was the first book for me to deal with the subject of loneliness. It can also be considered an autotheory, because she connects her own experience with the life stories of various artists of the past century. One of my all time favorites!
Yes! Such a powerful book. I wrote about it here: lonesomereader.com/blog/2016/2/26/the-lonely-city-by-olivia-laing
Your discussion of these books reminded me of a book I had read a long time ago, the unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kudera. In it the writer claims that there comes a time in our lives when we have to choose lightness meaning choosing a life without strings attached, a life of freedom or a life of heaviness or weight if you will meaning a life when you try to form connections with other people, thus renouncing your freedom. I chose heaviness for myself but sometimes I doubt I made the right choice.
Some of these books sound interesting to me as someone who chooses quite a quiet life myself, particularly the Ladder Of Years and Tides. I have read Walden and I found it an interesting viewpoint on living thoughtfully in America at that time.
Eric, I would like to recommend to you a book on your theme of isolation that I think you may like, it’s titled Wittgenstein’s Mistress by David Markson. The book covers many different philosophical themes including loneliness, abandonment, loss, betrayal and the faultiness of memory. The narrator Kate who believes herself entirely alone in the world types out a series of first person statement expressing views on the nature of what it is to be alive and live inwardly through the 20th century.
I hope you get to read those two books at some point; they're really worth it. I've had Markson's book on my shelf for YEARS and never got around to it for some reason. Thanks for the reminder. The way you describe it makes it sound like something I'd really connect with.
I read Woodswoman, a memoir by Dr. Anne LaBastille, about her life in a cabin she built and lived in for decades in the Adirondack wilderness in the 1960’s. She followed up with a book every decade, four in all, while she lived there. She was a writer for National Geographic. Her cabin was moved to a museum after she died ten years ago. She does talk about why she chose to live isolated, no roads in or out, only boat or jet ski options to reach her.
I'd not heard of her before. Her lifelong project sounds so interesting. Thanks so much!
The cover of your _Sugar Street_ really calls to me. And I love the Anne Tyler anecdote.
Your theme today resonates with me; it occurs to me that a lot of novels deal with some kind of solitude.
Thank you 😊📚
I felt like the novel Pan by Knut Hamsun tackled that idea, and brought it down to earth. How man simply cannot retreat away from civilization and also hope to retain a form of stability.
Interesting! I've only read Hunger by Knut Hamsun. I'll have to look this up, thanks!
I love Anne Tyler so thank you for her book I missed the one you presented. There are many ways of walking out on your life. I moved to Hawaii at 26 As far away from my life in New York as I could go. Of course there’s some truth and wherever you go there you are. You can’t really run away from yourself but you canEscape an untenable life.Aloha
That’s so interesting, thank you!
What fascinating books ! I love books about Solitary living. My all time favorite is a non fiction/ journal : May Sarton's - A Journal of A Solitude. I have struggled to find fiction books that focus on a solitary life - thanks for the recommendations.
Oh yes! I started reading that Sarton book ages ago and got distracted from it somehow. I must return to it at some point..
I'm really interested in this topic and I think probably as society today where you feel always connected to people (through the lense of social media) can in reality feel quite lonely, like looking at life through an opague window, not to mention the decisions that are made by others that frame our lives that we have little control over.
I would also mention unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, as not actually in lime with those you mention, it does have a rejecting society element to it and living as outsiders
Absolutely, it's a modern dilemma for so many people to have that kind of online connection but no physical interaction.
And yes, Unsettled Ground is so moving in how it presents that kind of isolation. That the family lived in a harmonious way in their isolation but after the mother's death in the beginning it throws that solitary life off kilter.
I'd like to add The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding , set in 1616 about a seaman who voluntarily spends a winter in the Arctic . Stunning .
I love the sound of this! Added to my list. Thank you!
I sometimes want to get away and be alone, but I know I wouldn't last more than a week without my family. I want to read several books in your list, especially Tides and Ladder of Years.
Yes, I think the concept of it is probably more appealing than the experience for so many people. Hope you get a chance to read those 2 books at some point.
Listen to Ajahn Sona, a Canadian Buddhist monk, who lived as a hermit for many years, now is the abbot of Birken Monastery, has many excellent teachings on UA-cam, full of wisdom and compassion.
Interesting! Thank you
Fascinating
I loved Ladder of Years! I need to re read it. I have noted Tides for future reading and I have Walden on my shelf but haven’t read that yet. Thanks , Eric , for a thought provoking selection, and discussion. I am an introvert but could not be a hermit or isolate myself from society or family… although there are times…. Haha.
Veronica and Astrid .. two women trying for Solitary existence but sharing so much
Although eerie, this notion of complete solitude has always entranced me in many ways. Actually I’ve had many ideas quite like the one presented in Walden. Never read any of those books but they do sound interesting.
Of course Walden also makes me remember Into the Wild
I love Into the Wild! Such a moving, impactful story.
the book recommendations i was looking for and didn't even know. thank you for this video!
Yes! Wonderful getting so many more. My list is getting longer and longer. 😅📚📚📚
Ladder of Years has long been a FAVORITE of mine and Tides is a more recent beloved. (Sugar Street is still on my TBR list.) I'm horrified that I've never read Ionesco's The Hermit. On it! [How absurd: I worked with Martin Esslin in the 1970's while working in theater and I earned a degree in French; I've no viable excuse!] Thanks for helping me to re-prioritize, Eric! I'm currently enjoying Seethaler's A Whole Life. (2016) tr Charlotte Collins. I'm also enjoying Kuang's Babel, and assorted works by Maeve Brennan, from her NYer Talk of the town writing (c. 1960's) to short stories set in her native Dublin. [I'm also reading Mediterranean and Caribbean cookbooks and doing yoga, as if I could outlive my TBR list LOL.]
That’s so impressive you worked with Martin Esslin! And I’m glad your enjoying A Whole Life. I’ve meant to read more of his work.
Thank you Eric for this quality content, interesting discussion, book suggestions and making me think!
😊📚
I always enjoy your thoughtful reviews, and this is no exception, thanks! A very, very good non-fiction take on this theme is "The Stranger In The Woods" by Michael Finkel. Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed that book.
I've not come across Finkel's book before. Thank you for the recommendation!
For your consideration: Claire-Louise Bennett's Pond.
Walden by Thoreau! All day yesterday I was googling and trying to find this. It's like someone has erased it from my memory and I had to find this and I only had a few clues and they didn't help.
Amazing.
Glad I could help!
@@EricKarlAnderson 🙏☺
Funny that a week ago, I asked my self how could we live without utility services for example: the tragedy at Buffalo, New York. Now, for Responsable people taking care of others, just walk away isn't a real option but a tempting one 😂
Yes, it's an increasingly pressing dilemma.
I just read Sugar Street and enjoyed it till the third act when I stopped rooting for the guy. I did enjoy the shot across the bow at James Patterson though. If you haven't read Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees I would add it to the list.
Have you read or heard of Against Nature, the 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans? I began reading it but haven't had a chance to finish it yet. Here's a plot synopsis: "The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The last scion of an aristocratic family, Des Esseintes loathes nineteenth-century bourgeois society and tries to retreat into an ideal artistic world of his own creation. The narrative is almost entirely a catalogue of the neurotic Des Esseintes's aesthetic tastes, musings on literature, painting, and religion, and hyperaesthesic sensory experiences."
Thanks so much! I've not read it before. That sounds really interesting.
What a fascinating topic for a video , loved this. Must get round to the Anne Tyler and Walden! Some of the recommendations in the comments are also really useful. I think many of us like a,period of solitude - just to read!
Yes, I'm getting so many great suggestions! My list is getting longer and longer. 😅📚📚📚
Hi, Eric! I always enjoy your videos, brimming with fascination and great recs as they always are, and this one was the perfect one to see after a terrible day - so thank you for that. You might enjoy Abraham Joshua Heschel's book "The Prophets." His prose is dense and heavy, but also passionate and moving.
You, Leaf by Leaf, Hardcover Hearts, and Better Than Food are my go-to book channels for great recs and lovely discourse. Thanks so much!!!
I'm glad I could give some respite from your bad day. Thanks so much for the suggestion of Heschel's book. I'll look it up.
I like a bit of solitary alone time but I'd miss my husband too much ! 😉🤣
Me too!
Wake me up when this is all over. 😎
Try ' The consolations of the Forest' by Slyvain Tesson. It's brilliant Nonfiction but excellent prose.
Definitely check out Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer if you haven't yet. It fits with the theme of this video beautifully.
Did you read *Seven Steeples*, Eric? It's about solitary living shared by two. My response to that book was not what I thought it would be, but I'd be interested in what you might think of it.
I’ve not but I’ve read other books by Sara Baume and I love her writing. I’ve got a copy of Seven Steeples on my shelf and I look forward to it.
Interesting video! I'm definitely drawn to the eremetical life albeit truly in a Christian manner; any other way would not make sense to me personally. I do believe that unconsciously those living any type of solitary life are seeking greater union with the Creator.
A well known and successful lawyer here in Newcastle, Australia, abandoned his career and decided to live on the streets in the inner city despite owning several properties several decades ago.
I’m not sure what happened to him, but he wouldn’t accept food from strangers, and concerned welfare officers did try to get him back into one of his houses but he wouldn’t return.
I wonder what his former life was like and if he was happy, or if he’s happier now. I couldn’t fathom being homeless when you have money and houses. It’s beyond me.
Wow, someone should write a novel about him.
No, I haven't read any of those but am of course familiar with many of the authors, like Beatty and Ionesco. However, I did the other day re-read the story of Jonah (and the whale), who rather than become persecuted obeying God's command to warn the people of Ninevah of certain destruction, he runs away to a ship. The ship is almost immediately besieged by great storm, and when the mariners discover Jonah is running away from his life they throw him overboard, where he is swallowed by a whale (and lives therein for three days).
I have a book of nonfiction to share with you--A Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. This true story of a hermit in Maine does not involve "privilege" ( a totally overused and ill-defined word) and won some awards, I believe. I hope you'll look into it, it's a quick read and I'm aware you don't read so much nonfiction from the States anymore. ☺️💜
Oh my gosh, I remember reading about this story (since I'm from Maine) but didn't know there's a book about it. How fascinating! Thanks so much!
@@EricKarlAnderson I envy you were from Maine, I'd love to retire there!!
and bringing his laundry home each week for his mother to do! or at least close to that. lol...must read 'ladder of years' don't know how i missed it...
Haha! A typical male approach. Hope you get a chance to read Ladder of Years!
Would Oblomov
Novel by Ivan Goncharov
Be on this list?
I must reread that. It’s a novel seldom talked about on BookTube.
If you like books like this please read the year of the hare by arto paasilinna !!
Not heard of that before. I'll look it up. Thank you!
What, no bookshelves? 😱
Check out Doppler by Erlend Loe (norwegian)
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