The Importance Of Living
February 23, 2010 by: admin
- ISBN13: 9780688163525
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
The Importance of Living is a wry, witty antidote to the dizzying pace of the modern world. Lin Yutang’s prescription is the classic Chinese philosophy of life: Revere inaction as much as action, invoke humor to maintain a healthy attitude, and never forget that there will always be plenty of fools around who are willing-indeed, eager-to be busy, to make themselves useful, and to exercise power while you bask in the simple joy of existence.At a time when we’re overwhelmed with wake-up calls, here is a refreshing, playful reminder to savor life’s simple pleasures.Amazon.com Review
Is it really a philosophy book if it has a section entitled “The Importance of Loafing”? Harvard scholar, Taoist, and moder… More >>
I am really surprised to find the popularity of Lin Yu-tang in the United States. Lin can hardly be labelled as a good writer, and this book is not so great. I hope lovers of Chinese culture and literature would rather read “The Dream of the Red Chamber” or Lu Xun’s essays.
Rating: 1 / 5
I bought this book many many years ago at Swindons’s and it was the perfect book for enjoying civilization.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book can be located electronically for free at Archive[dot]org (the “Internet Archive” – Universal Library). The full text version just looks like a big mess that got run all together, but the PDF version is in the original typeset & it’s 27 MB. So there you go. Have fun.
Rating: 4 / 5
I read the 1937 publication, and I’m not sure if it’s been updated since then, but it was well worth the read. Sure, it had several items that could be considered politically incorrect, but you have to admire a man that places such a philisophical importance of food. I borrowed the book from an uncle and read it very tongue-in-cheek. So why am I reviewing it on this site? I have to return the book and I wanted a copy of my own.
Rating: 4 / 5
What I like about this book is the author’s eloquence in evaluating simple acts in our life taken as granted (e.g. laying down, drinking tea, having a nice conversation) and in bringing out their simplicity yet beauty. In this manner, he teaches us how to enjoy them as they are and therefore gain a deeper appreciation of life itself. This book is like a reminder of things that we already knew but became forgotten as we grow older and is a collection of concrete philosophical ideas that would enrich our way of living.
The downside of this book is the tendency of the author to be verbose and to use complicated expressions. It is somewhat a vocabulary marathon to understand what he writes, not to mention the chinese expressions oftenly used without clear explanation (even with the explanation summary at the end of the book). The other is the impresssion of somewhat chinese-centric and xenophobic writing style.
In conclusion, this book is valuable in the way it reminds us the importance and enjoyment of living. It is however not an easy reading, and his writing style needs some getting used to.
Rating: 3 / 5