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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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TRAVELS WITH EPICURUS

Daniel Klein

A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of an Authentic Old Age

Highlighting the philosophy and wisdom of renowned hedonist Epicurus, this is a humorous and uplifting meditation on enjoying old age and how to live a happy, fulfilling life. .
When philosopher, jokester, and septuagenarian Daniel Klein goes to the dentist for a regular check-up, he is informed that he needs a section of his lower teeth removed and replaced with a denture plate or tooth implants. The plate would require a highly restricted diet, frequent trips to the dentist, and a lot of pain. While Klein's peerswere doing everything they could to look and act as young as they felt (skydiving, face lifts, French classes, breast implants), it suddenly seemed like a silly way to live one's final years. Or was it? Is it better to be forever young, or to live an authentic old age, toothless grin and all?

Klein decided the answer lay in a place where people seemed to know the secret to a long, happy, and healthy life—Greece. He travels there with a library of his favorite philosophers, where he observes other septuagenarians and octogenarians, and contemplates his own life, particularly seeking out wisdom from renowned hedonist Epicurus.

From that journey comes a sincere andhumorous meditation on aging that isn’t only about aging but uses philosophy to illustrate an Epicurean way of living: Eating boiled home grown lentils for dinner every night and sitting around with friends brings more comfort and pleasure than a life of luxury and riches. Cramping as much as you can into your schedule before it’s too late may be for some people, but for Klein, rolling around on the ground with his dog every afternoon guaranteesdaily joy. Daniel Klein is the co-author of HEIDEGGER and a HIPPO WALK THROUGH THOSE PEARLY GATESand the New York Times bestseller Plato and Platypus Walk Into a Bar.
Available products
Book

Published 2012-11-01 by Penguin Books

Book

Published 2012-11-01 by Penguin Books

Comments

Versus Kitap (Turkish); Urano (Spanish); Korea Price Information (Korean); One World (UK & C); Text Publishing (Australia) / L and PM Editories (Portuguese)