New Releases by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer has made more than one hundred retreats over the past three decades to a small Benedictine hermitage high above the sea in Big Sur, California. He’s not a Christian—or a member of any religious group—but his life has been transformed by these periods of time spent in silence. That silence reminds him of what is essential and awakens a joy that nothing can efface. It’s not just freedom from distraction and noise and rush: it’s a reminder of some deeper truths he misplaced along the way. In Learning From Silence, Iyer travels deep into inner stillness and joy in his many seasons at the monastery, even as his life is going through constant change: houses burn, a parent dies, a daughter is diagnosed with cancer. He shares the revelations he experiences, alongside wisdom from other nonmonastics who have learned from adversity and inwardness. Most profoundly, he shows how solitude can be a training in community and companionship. In so doing, he offers a unique outsider’s view of monastic life—and of a group of selfless souls who have dedicated their days to ensuring there’s a space for quiet and recollection that’s open to us all. Radiant, intimate, and gripping, Learning From Silence offers ageless counsel about the power of silence and what it can teach us about how to live, how to love, and, ultimately, how to die.

From the bestselling author of The Art of Stillness, a revelatory exploration of the abiding clarity and calm to be found in quiet retreat Pico Iyer has made more than one hundred retreats over the past three decades to a small Benedictine hermitage high above the sea in Big Sur, California. He’s not a Christian—or a member of any religious group—but his life has been transformed by these periods of time spent in silence. That silence reminds him of what is essential and awakens a joy that nothing can efface. It’s not just freedom from distraction and noise and rush: it’s a reminder of some deeper truths he misplaced along the way. In Aflame, Iyer connects with inner stillness and joy in his many seasons at the monastery, even as his life is going through constant change: a house burns down, a parent dies, a daughter is diagnosed with cancer. He shares the revelations he experiences, alongside wisdom from other nonmonastics who have learned from adversity and inwardness. And most profoundly, he shows how solitude can be a training in community and companionship. In so doing, he offers a unique outsider’s view of monastic life—and of a group of selfless souls who have dedicated their days to ensuring there’s a space for quiet and recollection that’s open to us all. Radiant, intimate, and gripping, Aflame offers ageless counsel about the power of silence and what it can teach us about how to live, how to love, and, ultimately, how to die.

Tim Parks hace una crítica de la modernidad desde la quietud. Georgina Cebey imagina una cartografía del silencio espacial. Pico Iyer compone una colección de insights de un Japón inexplicable. Elisa Díaz Castelo describe su llegada a la poesía desde el dolor. Patricia Arredondo duda si existe el silencio fuera del lenguaje. Mónica Nepote busca el resonar de su infancia en las montañas. Leonardo da Jandra registra sus vivencias en una playa utópica del Pacífico. Mariana Orantes escribe un elogio sobre la compañía muda de los animales. Sara Maitland explora el ascetismo en las Fronteras Escocesas. Antonio Tamez se adentra en la oscuridad ancestral del temazcal. Larry Rosenberg ralentiza su existencia a través de la respiración consciente. Pablo d’Ors contempla el silencio de Dios.

Paradise: that elusive place where the anxieties, struggles, and burdens of life fall away. Most of us dream of it, but each of us has very different ideas about where it is to be found. For some it can be enjoyed only after death; for others, it''s in our midst-or just across the ocean-if only we can find eyes to see it. Traveling from Iran to North Korea, from the Dalai Lama''s Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan, Pico Iyer brings together a lifetime of explorations to upend our ideas of utopia and ask how we might find peace in the midst of difficulty and suffering. Does religion lead us back to Eden or only into constant contention? Why do so many seeming paradises turn into warzones? And does paradise exist only in the afterworld - or can it be found in the here and now? For almost fifty years Iyer has been roaming the world, mixing a global soul''s delight in observing cultures with a pilgrim''s readiness to be transformed. In this culminating work, he brings together the outer world and the inner to offer us a surprising, original, often beautiful exploration of how we might come upon paradise in the midst of our very real lives.

»Seit über dreißig Jahren lebe ich im Westen Japans, und zu meinem großen Entzücken weiß ich heute deutlich weniger als bei meiner Ankunft.« Folgerichtig zählt sich auch Pico Iyer, einer der großen Reiseschriftsteller unserer Zeit, vergnügt zu den Japan-Anfängern. Hier nun schöpft Iyer aus seinen vielen Erfahrungen, aus Reisen, Gedanken, Lektüren, Gesprächen und eröffnet uns überraschende, pointierte Einblicke in die japanische Kultur. Mit Liebe für Details und Freude an Widersprüchen erhellt Iyer Japan-Neulingen ein faszinierendes Land, versierte Reisende werden es noch einmal mit anderen Augen sehen.

With contributions by: William Boyd, Candice Carty-Williams, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Robert Macfarlane, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina Nayeri, Chigozie Obioma, Michael Ondaatje, David Pilling, Max Porter, Philip Pullman, Alice Pung, Jancis Robinson, S.F.Said, Madeleine Thien, Salley Vickers, John Wood and Markus Zusak ''This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift. The gift, like so many gifts, was a book...'' So begins the essay by Robert Macfarlane that inspired this collection. In this cornucopia of an anthology, you will find essays by some of the world''s most beloved novelists, nonfiction writers, essayists and poets. ''You will see books taking flight in flocks, migrating around the world, landing in people''s hearts and changing them for a day or a year or a lifetime. ''You will see books sparking wonder or anger; throwing open windows into other languages, other cultures, other minds; causing people to fall in love or to fight for what is right. ''And more than anything, over and over again, you will see books and words being given, received and read - and in turn prompting further generosity.'' Published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of global literacy non-profit, Room to Read, The Gifts of Reading forms inspiring, unforgettable, irresistible proof of the power and necessity of books and reading. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane Curated by Jennie Orchard

No hotel is as inseparably linked to its city than Raffles Hotel, writes Pico Iyer, arguably the world’s greatest travel writer alive. Drawing upon numerous stays in Raffles over 35 years and the fast-ascending city all around it, Iyer—a lifelong global soul—reflects on the “Grand Old Lady’s” literary legacy and its mark on writers everywhere. In the process, he finds new ways of considering not just yesterday, but tomorrow. How have Singapore and its white-stucco monument evolved to meet the needs of a shifting world? In this compact volume, Iyer pulls back the curtains on a personal, thoughtful and surprising look at places we too often take for granted.

“Arguably the greatest living travel writer” (Outside magazine), Pico Iyer has called Japan home for more than three decades. But, as he is the first to admit, the country remains an enigma even to its long-term residents. In A Beginner’s Guide to Japan, Iyer draws on his years of experience—his travels, conversations, readings, and reflections—to craft a playful and profound book of surprising, brief, incisive glimpses into Japanese culture. He recounts his adventures and observations as he travels from a meditation hall to a love hotel, from West Point to Kyoto Station, and from dinner with Meryl Streep to an ill-fated call to the Apple service center in a series of provocations guaranteed to pique the interest and curiosity of those who don’t know Japan—and to remind those who do of its myriad fascinations.

In this “exquisite personal blend of philosophy and engagement, inner quiet and worldly life" (Los Angeles Times), an acclaimed author returns to his longtime home in Japan after his father-in-law’s sudden death and picks up the steadying patterns of his everyday rites, reminding us to take nothing for granted. In a country whose calendar is marked with occasions honoring the dead, Pico Iyer comes to reflect on changelessness in ways that anyone can relate to: parents age, children scatter, and Iyer and his wife turn to whatever can sustain them as everything falls away. As the maple leaves begin to turn and the heat begins to soften, Iyer shows us a Japan we have seldom seen before, where the transparent and the mysterious are held in a delicate balance.

„A zavaró körülmények korában nincs nagyobb luxus, mint a koncentrált figyelem. Az állandó mozgás korában nincs fontosabb, mint a csendes üldögélés.” A csendes üldögélés lehet a legnagyobb kaland az életben – állítja Pico Iyer, az ünnepelt útikönyvszerző, aki bejárta az egész világot. Leonard Cohen, Mahátma Gandhi, Marcel Proust és különböző innovatív vállalatok példáján keresztül mutatja be, hogy a magányos elvonulás növeli a kreativitást, és olyan életformát kínál, amely képes ellensúlyozni a modern világ őrült rohanását.

At dawn I wake up to bells . . . red-tailed hawks above the golden pampas grass and the great, still blue plate of the Pacific far below . . . Many places offer you beauty, grandeur, spaciousness; none but Big Sur, in my experience, tells you so powerfully that all those blessings lie within. —Pico Iyer on Big Sur, California Some places move us at a profound level—with a kind of inner beauty that puts us in direct touch with the spirit. It might be a temple, a church, a monument, a wayside shrine, or a landscape feature that is saturated in the ambience of ancient sacred traditions. Such places are worth taking the trouble to visit. They add meaning to our lives, awakening a sense of beauty, tranquility or awe. From the prehistoric megaliths of Carnac in Brittany to the Buddhist temple complex of Borobodur in Java, from the giant medicine wheel at Bighorn, Wyoming in the USA to the Confucian Temple of Heaven in Beijing, this book will guide you on a journey to 100 of the world’s most spiritually uplifting sites. Accompanying the superb photographs are evocative descriptions of each place, many from esteemed writers who share their personal responses in their own inimitable style. Read Joseph Williams III on Pipestone in Minnesota, Jan Morris on Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, Michael Ondaatje on the Arankale Forest Monastery in Sri Lanka, and more. And if you wish to seek out these places for yourself, there is a helpful gazetteer at the back of the book giving key facts for visitors. By immersing ourselves in those special places where landscape, art, and spirit meet in a radiant intersection, we enlarge our perspective on life. This book gives us the inspiration and knowledge to do so.

De mai bine de trei decenii, Pico Iyer, unul dintre cei mai apreciați autori de cărți de călătorie, este prieten cu Dalai Lama. Pe parcursul acestor ani, prin intermediul unor conversații intime, a ajuns să îl cunoască așa cum doar puțini se pot lăuda că îl știu. În paginile acestei cărți, Iyer realizează un portret unic al uneia dintre cele mai insolite personalități a timpului nostru, explicând ideile și activitatea lui Dalai Lama despre politică, știință, tehnologie și religie. Acest volum nu este o biografie, ci o analiză jurnalistică extinsă despre o persoană care a adunat înțelepciune cât pentru mai multe vieți, așa cum cred budiștii tibetani. Iyer își organizează observațiile prin descrieri inteligente ale diferitelor aspecte ale activității și personalității lui Dalai Lama: personalitate, călugăr, filosof, politician. Aceasta îi permite să sondeze diverse laturi ale Sfinției Sale, Iyer reamintind cititorilor de anumite paradoxuri: Dalai Lama este profund empiric și, cu toate acestea, are convingeri, precum reîncarnarea, care desfid observația. Este o persoană publică, dar la fel de mult este extrem de implicat în practicile religioase elaborate. Scopul acestei cărți este, în cele din urmă, simplu: să ni-l prezinte pe omul Dalai Lama.

Lonely Planet: The world''s leading travel guide publisher A collection of great travel writing by authors from around the globe, including original stories set in Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia, Moldova, Tanzania, Austria and beyond, edited by long-term Lonely Planet collaborator Don George. The 35 impassioned stories included in this collection - of fortune tellers, tribal baboon hunters, a friendly Japanese family, and other notable characters - span a worldwide spectrum of themes, styles and settings, but all show how travel in its unexpected turns tests and teaches us, making us aware that we are resilient, that we are not alone, and that there is so much love and connection to be had if we open ourselves up. This collection affirms that if we follow the compass of the heart, we will always find our way. Whether you read the book on the road or in an armchair at home, these tales are sure to entertain, amuse and inform you, and resonate long after the book is finished. ''As you travel through these pages, may your mind be widened, your spirit enlivened, and your own path illuminated by these worldly word-journeys.'' ---Don George With sparkling contributions from some of the most acclaimed names in contemporary fiction and travel writing plus some new voices from around the world, including: Ann Patchett, Francine Prose, TC Boyle, Karen Joy Fowler, Pico Iyer, Torre DeRoche, Blane Bachelor, Rebecca Dinerstein, Jan Morris, Elizabeth George, Jane Hamilton, Alexander McCall Smith, Keija Parssinen, Mridu Khullar Relph, Yulia Denisyuk, Emily Koch, Carissa Kasper, Jessica Silber, Candace Rose Rardon, Marilyn Abildskov, Shannon Leone Fowler, Robin Cherry, Robert Twigger, Porochista Khakpour, Natalie Baszile, Suzy Joinson, Anthony Sattin, LH McMillin, Bridget Crocker, Maggie Downs, Bishwanath Ghosh, Jeff Greenwald, James Dorsey and Tahir Shah. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world''s leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, gift and lifestyle books and stationery, as well as an award-winning website, magazines, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet''s mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers'' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category ''Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.'' - New York Times ''Lonely Planet. It''s on everyone''s bookshelves; it''s in every traveller''s hands. It''s on mobile phones. It''s on the Internet. It''s everywhere, and it''s telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.'' - Fairfax Media (Australia) Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Unexpected stories from unexpected places. The authors of these 30 real-life tales find passion, surprise and illumination in the middle of Borneo or Beijing, in a Mayan mountain village, along a timeworn trail in Tuscany, on an isolated South Pacific island, or under a desert moon in Mali.

L''endroit où le voyageur et chroniqueur Pico Iyer aimerait le plus aller ? Nulle part. Lors de cette méditation lyrique et surprenante, il revisite l''incroyable clairvoyance qui vient avec l''immobilité. Dans notre monde de mouvement perpétuel et de distractions, il ébauche quelques tactiques que nous pouvons tous utiliser pour gagner quelques minutes chaque jour, ou quelques jours chaque saison. C''est un texte pour tous ceux qui se sentent submergés par les sollicitations du monde extérieur.

Zak Ebrahim ›Der Sohn des Terroristen‹: Beeindruckendes Plädoyer gegen Hass Pico Iyer ›Die Kunst des Innehaltens‹: Wie kann man in einer Welt voller Ablenkungen ganz bei sich sein? Hannah Fry ›Die Mathematik der Liebe‹: Scheinbar unvereinbare Gegensätze: Liebe und Mathematik Marc Kushner ›Die Zukunft der Architektur in 100 Bauwerken‹: Die ungewöhnlichsten Bauwerke der Welt Rob Knight ›Wir sind viele‹: Das Wirken unserer Mikroorganismen Chip Kidd ›Judge This‹: Ein aufregender Tag mit dem Design-Guru

"This collection presents 31 globe-girdling tales that run the gamut from close-encounter safaris to loss-of-face follies, hair-raising rides to culture-leaping brides, eccentric expats to mind-boggling repasts, wrong roads taken to agreements mistaken"--Back cover.

. Uno de los primeros dos libros de la serie de TED Books En un mundo en el que, gracias a las redes sociales, se nos ofrece distracción las 24 horas y en la cual nos sentimos a la vez sobrecargados de información pero con miedo a perdernos algo, este libro trae una solución simple. Detente, aunque sea durante poco tiempo. Las recompensas serán enormes. Pico Iyer nos muestra en este libro como muchos han encontrado la verdadera riqueza en la quietud, desde Marcel Proust hasta Blaise Pascal pasando por Phillipe Starck. Explora también una verdad contraria a la intuición como que mientras más posibilidades tenemos de conectarnos, más deseamos desesperadamente desconectarnos. En las dos charlas TED que ha dado reflexiona sobre la razón por la cual tanta gente acude a técnicas como el yoga, la meditación o el tai chi. No son modas new age, sino nuevas formas de conectar con una era pasada. También existe una tendencia a adoptar fines de semana sabáticos de Internet, desconectando la tecnología y recuperando la costumbre como la conversación y las comidas familiares.

This wide-ranging boxed set of ten TED Books titles covers everything from architecture to business, space travel to love: The Terrorist’s Son, The Mathematics of Love, The Art of Stillness, The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings, Beyond Measure, Judge This, How We’ll Live on Mars, Why We Work, The Laws of Medicine, and Follow Your Gut. Provocative, intelligent, and forward-thinking, the first ten TED Books is perfect for any curious reader interested in technology, design, and creative thinking. The Terrorist’s Son is the story of the man who planned the 1993 World Trade Center bombing—and the son who chose a different path. The Mathematics of Love is a must-have for anyone who wants to better understand the patterns of their love life. In The Art of Stillness, travel writer Pico Iyer reveals a counterintuitive truth: The more ways we have to connect, the more we seem desperate to unplug. The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings captures the thoughtful intelligence and the sheer whimsy of the world’s most inspired and future-looking buildings. Beyond Measure reveals how organizations can make huge changes with surprisingly small steps and ultimately transform their company culture. Chip Kidd’s Judge This is a playful look at the importance of first impressions—in design and in life—exposing the often invisible beauty and betrayal in simple design choices ones most of us never even think to notice. In How We’ll Live on Mars award-winning journalist Stephen Petranek makes the case that living on Mars is an essential back-up plan for humanity and will happen far sooner than we imagine. In the groundbreaking Why We Work Barry Schwartz dispels a deeply ingrained myth: The reason we work is primarily to get a paycheck. Pulitzer Prize–winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee reveals an urgent philosophy in The Laws of Medicine on the little-known principles that govern medicine. In Follow Your Gut scientist Rob Knight and journalist Brendan Buhler explain why the microscopic life inside us matters to everyone.

Über den LUXUS der Entschleunigung In einer Welt voller Angebote und Möglichkeiten stellt sich der bekannte Essayist und Autor Pico Iyer dem letzten großen Abenteuer: der Kunst des Innehaltens, der Entschleunigung. Nachdem er selbst ein Leben lang unterwegs war, von den Osterinseln über Katmandu bis Kuba, zeigt er uns, wie wir in einer Welt der ständigen Beschleunigung durch das Innehalten, die Konzentration auf uns selbst, mehr Inspiration, Kreativität und Ausgeglichenheit erreichen können. Denn in einer Welt voller Ablenkung ist der größte Luxus, völlig bei sich zu sein. Mit stimmungsvollen Farbfotografien

Lonely Planet: The world''s leading travel guide publisher Humorous tales of travel and misadventure. Lonely Planet knows that some of life''s funniest experiences happen on the road. Whether they take the form of unexpected detours, unintended adventures, unidentifiable dinners or unforgettable encounters, they can give birth to our most found travel lessons, and our most memorable - and hilarious - travel stories. These 31 globegirdling tales that run the gamut from close-encounter safaris to loss-of-face follies, hair-raising rides to culture-leaping brides, eccentric expats to mind-boggling repasts, wrong roads taken to agreements mistaken. The collection brings together some of the world''s most renowned travellers and storytellers with previously unpublished writers. Includes stories by Wickam Boyle, Tim Cahill, Joshua Clark, Sean Condon, Chistopher R.Cox, David Downie, Holly Erikson, Bill Fink, Don George, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Jeff Grenwald, Pico Iyer, Amanda Jones, Kathie Kertesz, Doug Lansky, Alexander Ludwick, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Jan Morris, Brooke Neill, Rolf Potts, Laura Resau, Michelle Richmond, Alana Semuels, Deborah Steg, Judy Tierney, Edwin Tucker, Jeff Vize, Danny Wallace, Kelly Watton, Simon Wichester, Michelle Witton About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world''s leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet''s mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel. TripAdvisor Travellers'' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category ''Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.'' - New York Times ''Lonely Planet. It''s on everyone''s bookshelves; it''s in every traveller''s hands. It''s on mobile phones. It''s on the Internet. It''s everywhere, and it''s telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.'' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013 Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

È difficile stare al passo in un mondo che non accenna a tirare il freno. Le gratificazioni professionali, la serenità in famiglia, il divertimento, rischiano di diventare mete irraggiungibili, anziché approdi sicuri. La ricerca incessante di soddisfazione sembra il modo migliore per non trovarla. Ma un’alternativa c’è, ed è la stessa praticata da viaggiatori instancabili e maestri del pensiero come Leonard Cohen e Thomas Merton, Henry Thoreau e il Dalai Lama, Marcel Proust ed Emily Dickinson: basta scegliere di rimanere immobili. Per mezz’ora o un mese, nella propria stanza o su un eremo himalayano, non importa. Ciò che conta è il coraggio di staccare la spina, di rifugiarsi in uno spazio tutto per sé, per riuscire a osservare la vita dalla giusta distanza e quindi affrontarla con più grinta e saggezza. «Preferirei di no» rispondeva Bartleby lo scrivano, a metà dell’Ottocento, alle richieste del suo datore di lavoro. «Preferirei di no» è quello che, secondo Pico Iyer, dovremmo dire tutti di fronte al pericolo che lo stress si trasformi presto in un’epidemia globale, come rivelano le stime dell’Organizzazione mondiale della sanità. Correre senza sosta può impedirci di vedere dove stiamo andando. La vera rivoluzione, l’unica in grado di dare all’esistenza un valore nuovo, è smettere di fare. E cominciare a essere.

"In The Art of Stillness, Iyer draws on the lives of well-known wanderer-monks like Cohen--as well as from his own experiences as a travel writer who chooses to spend most of his time in rural Japan--to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. Iyer reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people--even those with no religious commitment--seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. These aren''t New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age."--Publisher''s description.

More than 20 well-known writers and celebrities share the travel experiences that shaped their personalities and changed their lives. Contributors include Dave Eggers, Richard Ford, Pico Iyer, John Berendt, Alexander McCall Smith and Jane Smiley. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You’ll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

The artist combines wide-angle photographs of landscapes from throughout the world that exhibit fundamental, formal similarities and rhythms by connecting them with a common horizon line.

Ever since he first discovered Graham Greene''s work, Pico Iyer has felt a haunting closeness with the English writer. In The Man Within My Head, Iyer follows Greene''s trail from his first novel, The Man Within, to such later classics as The Quiet American, examining Greene''s obsessions, his elusiveness, and his penchant for mystery. The deeper he plunges into this exploration, the more Iyer begins to wonder whether the man within his head might not be Greene but his own father, or perhaps some more shadowy aspect of himself. Drawing upon experiences across the globe, from Cuba to Bhutan, and moving, as Greene would, from Sri Lanka in war to intimate moments of introspection, this is the most personal and revelatory book yet from one of our most astute observers of inner journeys and crossing cultures.

The author of Video Night in Kathmandu ups the ante on himself in this sublimely evocative and acerbically funny tour through the world''s loneliest and most eccentric places. From Iceland to Bhutan to Argentina, Iyer remains both uncannily observant and hilarious.