Synopses & Reviews
The final and most personal work from Pulitzer Prizeand#8211;winning author and historian Will Durantand#8212;discovered thirty-two years after his deathand#8212;is a message of insight for everyone who has sought meaning in life or the council of a wise friend in navigating lifeand#8217;s journey.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;From 1968 to 1978, Will Durant made four public allusions to the existence of andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/Iandgt;. One, in 1975, hinted at its contents: and#8220;a not very serious book that answers the questions of what I think about government, life, death, and God.and#8221; And in 1975: and#8220;I proposeand#8230;to answer all the important questions, simply, fairly, and imperfectly.and#8221; Even into his nineties, he worked on the book daily, writing it out on legal notepads. On his death in 1981, no one, not even the Durant heirs, knew if he had completed it, or even if it still existed. Thirty-two years later, in a granddaughterand#8217;s attic trunk, the manuscript was discovered.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leaves andlt;/Iandgt;is Will Durantand#8217;s most personal book. It is precisely as he described: twenty-two short chapters on everything from youth and old age, religion and morals, to sex, war, politics, and art. The culmination of Will Durantand#8217;s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/Iandgt; is the distilled wisdom of a gifted scholar with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. In its preface Durant mentions that over the course of his career he received letters from and#8220;curious readers who have challenged me to speak andlt;Iandgt;my mindandlt;/Iandgt; on the timeless questions of human life and fate.and#8221; With andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leaves andlt;/Iandgt;he accepted their challenge. It contains strong opinions, elegant prose, and deep insights into the human condition as only Will Durant could provide, as well as his revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species.
Review
"Short but persuasive commentaries on a diversity of topics from a respected scholar of humanity."
Review
"Some passages, such as his observations on youth and middle age, are personal and specific, while others, such as his ruminations on the existence of God, border on philosophy. . . . [And others] still carry a beneficial sting, such as his thoughts on war and nationalism and his plea for racial harmony (Durantand#8217;s civil rights advocacy dated back to 1914). . . . a thought-provoking array of opinions."
Review
"andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/Iandgt; is in some ways a slight book. But it is also a revelatory one. Most of Durant's work is about the thoughts and actions of others. andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/Iandgt; is very much about the thoughts of Will durant concerningand#8212;well, almost everything. You'll find short essays on childhood, old age, death, war, politics, capitalisn, art, sex, God and morality. ... Above all, andlt;Iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/Iandgt; is a portrait of a sensibility. ... Durant was a remarkable specimen of that nearly extinct species, a civilized liberal of wide learning and even wider sympahy for the fundamentals of human aspiration."
Review
and#8220;Some of his musings are provocative, even outrageousand#8230;this is a work that demands we think, and it is a worthy conclusion to a long and distinguished career.and#8221;
Review
"The book serves as a distillation of wisdom from a distinguished scholar, rendered in elegant prose."
Synopsis
Praised as a revelatory book by The Wall Street Journal, this is the last and most personal work of Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian Will Durant, discovered thirty-two years after his death.
The culmination of Will Durant s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, Fallen Leaves is the distilled wisdom of one of the world s greatest minds, a man with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. Over the course of Durant s career he received numerous letters from curious readers who have challenged me to speak my mind on the timeless questions of human life and fate. With Fallen Leaves, his final book, he at last accepted their challenge.
In twenty-two short chapters, Durant addresses everything from youth and old age to religion, morals, sex, war, politics, and art. Fallen Leaves is a thought-provoking array of opinions (Publishers Weekly), offering elegant prose, deep insights, and Durant s revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species. In Durant s singular voice, here is a message of insight for everyone who has ever sought meaning in life or the counsel of a learned friend while navigating life s journey."
Synopsis
Praised as a and#8220;revelatoryand#8221; book by andlt;iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt;, this is the last and most personal work of Pulitzer Prizeand#8211;winning author and historian Will Durant, discovered thirty-two years after his death.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The culmination of Will Durantand#8217;s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, andlt;iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/iandgt; is the distilled wisdom of one of the worldand#8217;s greatest minds, a man with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. Over the course of Durantand#8217;s career he received numerous letters from and#8220;curious readers who have challenged me to speak my mind on the timeless questions of human life and fate.and#8221; With andlt;iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/iandgt;, his final book, he at last accepted their challenge.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In twenty-two short chapters, Durant addresses everything from youth and old age to religion, morals, sex, war, politics, and art. andlt;iandgt;Fallen Leavesandlt;/iandgt; is and#8220;a thought-provoking array of opinionsand#8221; (andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;), offering elegant prose, deep insights, and Durantand#8217;s revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species. In Durantand#8217;s singular voice, here is a message of insight for everyone who has ever sought meaning in life or the counsel of a learned friend while navigating lifeand#8217;s journey.
About the Author
Will Durant (1885andndash;1981) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize (1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977). He spent more than fifty years writing his critically acclaimed eleven-volume series, andlt;iandgt;The Story of Civilizationandlt;/iandgt; (the later volumes written in conjunction with his wife, Ariel). A champion of human rights issues, such as the brotherhood of man and social reform, long before such issues were popular, Durantandrsquo;s writing still educates and entertains readers around the world.andnbsp;