Last Works: Lessons in Leaving (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300224399)

For many today, retirement and the leisure said to accompany it have become vestiges of a slower, long-lost time. In a world where the sense of identity is tied to work and careers, to stop working often is to become nobody. In this deeply perceptive and personal exploration of last works, Mark C. Taylor explores the final reflections of writers and thinkers from Kierkegaard to David Foster Wallace. How did they either face or avoid ending and leaving? What do their lessons in ending teach us about living in the time that remains for us?

Some leavings brought relief, even joy, while others brought pain and suffering. Whether the cause was infirmity, impending death, or simply exhaustion and ennui, the ways these influential voices fell silent offer poignant examples of people negotiating the challenges of ending. Throughout this profound and moving book, Taylor probes how the art of living involves learning to leave gracefully.

Author: Mark C. Taylor
ISBN-10: 0300224397
ISBN-13: 9780300224399
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/09/2018
Pages: 392
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.40w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2017
Choice 06/01/2018