The Age of Absurdity

Why Modern Life makes it Hard to be Happy

Michael Foley

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English

Simon & Schuster
07 March 2011

Popular philosophy; Society & Social Sciences

The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life. Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth. In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.

By: Michael Foley
Imprint: Simon & Schuster
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9781847396273
ISBN 10: 1847396275
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 07 March 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michael Foley was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, but since 1972 he has lived in London, working as a Lecturer in Information Technology. He has published four novels, four collections of poetry and a collection of translations from French poetry, which have earned impressive reviews from The Guardian, New Statesman and New York Times. The Age of Absurdity is his first non-fiction book.

Reviews for The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life makes it Hard to be Happy

Bound to be compared to the works of Patrick McCabe and Roddy Doyle, Foley's novel is stingingly funny, ruefully perceptive and anything but unremarkable. -- Publishers Weekly on Getting Used to Not Being Remarkable