The Art of Growing Older: Writers on Living and Aging - Paperback

by Wayne C. Booth (Editor)

Wayne Booth has selected, and has been inspired by, the works by some of our greatest writers on the art of growing older. In this widely praised anthology he shows that the very making of art is in itself a victory over time. Culled chiefly from great literary works, this unusual compendium of prose and poetry . . . highlights the physical and emotional aspects of aging. . . . The thoughtful commentary with which Booth connects the selections reminds readers that physical decay and fear of death are conditions common to us all. . . . Provocative."--Publishers Weekly "His blending of literature, humor, and crotchetiness will capture the interest of readers of all ages."--Booklist

"Funny . . . profound. . . . It is hard to resist the closing chapters, which celebrate the freedom from constraint and ambition, the permission to be crotchety, the joy of memory and perspective that come with age."--William March, Tampa Tribune "Booth puts a new spin on the worries many of us have about what's catching up with us. . . . Booth's book . . . [is] for both the younger readers and those of us who are nervously counting birthdays."--Sacramento Bee

Back Jacket

Old Age is a territory that most of us can expect to enter and brave, however tentatively. In this anthology, Wayne Booth has selected, and has been inspired by, the works of some of our greatest writers--Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Walt Whitman, and many more--on the art of growing older. Profound, witty, shrewd, compassionate, but never sentimental, he deals candidly with losses, fears, and lamentations, but then dwells on not just the consolations but the reasons for celebration.

Author Biography

Wayne C. Booth (1921-2005) was the George Pullman Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. His many books include The Rhetoric of Fiction, A Rhetoric of Irony, The Power and Limits of Pluralism, The Vocation of a Teacher, and Forthe Love of It, all published by the University of Chicago Press.