- Paperback: 398 pages
- Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd; New edition edition (5 May 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099471477
- ISBN-13: 978-0099471479
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 813,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Colin Wilson is the bete-noir of the Oxbridge literary establishment. He never went to university, let alone Oxbridge, yet wrote "The Outsider", a brilliant account of the pain of being alive today, when he was just twenty-four. It sold millions of copies around the world, and he was acclaimed as one of the leading intellectuals of the age, finding a huge audience with the anti-establishment, alternative and underground thinkers. Because of his radically new attitudes he was - with John Osborne - dubbed an 'angry young man' in the article that originally coined that phrase. In this way a young man from a working class background suddenly found himself moving in the most colourful literary and artistic circles of the day. In his autobiography, he tells stories about, among others, Aldous Huxley, Angus Wilson, John Osborne, Kingsley Amis, Kenneth Tynan, Francis Bacon and Norman Mailer - all observed with a true outsider's eye for absurdity. He is regarded by many as a true literary hero - Julian Cope stopped a recent concert to pay tribute to Wilson who as sitting in the audience and Donovan Leitch dedicates his new autobiography to him - but he also has huge mass market appeal. His insightful, brilliant books on the "Occult", the "Mysteries and Atlantis" and the "Sphinx" were all huge bestsellers netting millions of copies. In this return to the themes of "The Outsider", looked at from the point of his own life story, he again proves himself one of the great intellectuals of our age, never ceasing to wrestle with the great questions of life and death, and writing with an erudition and an easy way with ideas that is rare in English literary life.
From the Publisher
Inside the Outsider - Colin Wilson returns to the subject of his million-selling book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In an age of far too many autobiographies and biographies of essentially rather uninteresting people, Colin's book really stands out for its wonderful readable clarity, his remarkable personal story and having something genuinely worthwhile to say about the meaning of life.
Everything in this book is fascinating: Colin's Leicester working class background, his early love of books and writing, the labouring jobs and the hard struggle to become a writer. The "beatnik" days and his stint as an Anarchist speaker at Hyde Park Corner add youthful colour. Relationships, especially his first Leicester teenage love and his two marriages, are described with realistic detail and a lot of sensitivity. He brings a wholesomeness to his treatment of love, sexuality and intimate relationships that is all too rare in contemporary literature.
Colin's early "Outsider" fame at just 24 years of age brings its own trials but his hard school integrity, his hard work and ceaselessly enquiring mind, his sense of humour and philosophy of life enable him to carry on successfully to date. As well as Colin's own unique story and account of the development of his ideas, I greatly enjoyed the vivid critical insights he provides into the minds and lives of famous authors who he came to know personally, such as Camus, Henry Miller, Graham Greene and John Braine.
I had forgotten what a great living English writer we have in Colin Wilson with his uniquely accessible genius. Reading this marvellous autobiography has inspired me to order a selection of his other works listed at Amazon, some re-reads for me like The Outsider and some of his other books of ideas that I have missed.
Everything in this book is fascinating: Colin's Leicester working class background, his early love of books and writing, the labouring jobs and the hard struggle to become a writer. The "beatnik" days and his stint as an Anarchist speaker at Hyde Park Corner add youthful colour. Relationships, especially his first Leicester teenage love and his two marriages, are described with realistic detail and a lot of sensitivity. He brings a wholesomeness to his treatment of love, sexuality and intimate relationships that is all too rare in contemporary literature.
Colin's early "Outsider" fame at just 24 years of age brings its own trials but his hard school integrity, his hard work and ceaselessly enquiring mind, his sense of humour and philosophy of life enable him to carry on successfully to date. As well as Colin's own unique story and account of the development of his ideas, I greatly enjoyed the vivid critical insights he provides into the minds and lives of famous authors who he came to know personally, such as Camus, Henry Miller, Graham Greene and John Braine.
I had forgotten what a great living English writer we have in Colin Wilson with his uniquely accessible genius. Reading this marvellous autobiography has inspired me to order a selection of his other works listed at Amazon, some re-reads for me like The Outsider and some of his other books of ideas that I have missed.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Definitely worth reading if you are interested in philosophy, metaphysics and spiritual ideas. And, whatever we may say about Colin Wilson, he is above all else an ideas man.
In this book, he explores his ideas and thoughts with depth, and a great deal of insight. As he talks about his life, you can see a pattern to his development as a writer and an individual. He is also very honest, and this in some ways reminds me of Kerouac. As Kerouac himself said, what you keep secret is what the reader really wants to know about. In this way, Wilson explores his views on psychology and sexuality in a very engaging and lucid manner. It is very easy to bring up images in your mind of all sorts of situations that he describes.
The main criticism would be the somewhat dry and rational take on life that Wilson seems to hold. But even here, Wilson is self-aware enough to discuss this, and highlight moments in his life when he has had to come to terms with himself. So, overall a very illuminating and easy to read book that will be a worthwhile addition to any collection of original thinkers.
In this book, he explores his ideas and thoughts with depth, and a great deal of insight. As he talks about his life, you can see a pattern to his development as a writer and an individual. He is also very honest, and this in some ways reminds me of Kerouac. As Kerouac himself said, what you keep secret is what the reader really wants to know about. In this way, Wilson explores his views on psychology and sexuality in a very engaging and lucid manner. It is very easy to bring up images in your mind of all sorts of situations that he describes.
The main criticism would be the somewhat dry and rational take on life that Wilson seems to hold. But even here, Wilson is self-aware enough to discuss this, and highlight moments in his life when he has had to come to terms with himself. So, overall a very illuminating and easy to read book that will be a worthwhile addition to any collection of original thinkers.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dreaming to Some Purpose has to be the best biography I have ever read by the legendary author Colin Wilson. This book is extremely well written, detailed and filled with information. I found myself laughing with joy during the first few chapters at some of the jokes he tells. Then I found myself in a very serious mood, as Mr Wilson touches on some serious subjects.
If you have not read Dreaming to Some Purpose, you seriously need to consider purchasing this book.
If you have not read Dreaming to Some Purpose, you seriously need to consider purchasing this book.
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