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Title: The Importance Of Living by Lin Yutang ISBN: 0-688-16352-1 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 07 October, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.47 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Art of living from the sons of Cathay
Comment: This delightful book is certainly worth the reader's
while when the author's succintly bring you into his
confidence and reveal in an unbutton mood his experience
of thought and mind from the Chinese philosophy which has
mellowed through centuries towards the enjoyment of life.
It is punctuated with proverbs, poetries, satires, prose,
wittiness and little stories throughout the book. It's
written with flowing, exact and beautiful words which will
captivate the heart of every reader and provide the key to
a better outlook in life.
Rating: 5
Summary: Offers a complete philosophy of life
Comment: This is a true modern classic (to those who consider 1937 modern anyway). Lin Yutang offers a meandering, informal look at life, happiness, the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, the enjoyment of food and many other things. What I like best about this book is not what it argues for or advocates (Yutang is about as far from an academic philosopher as you can get) but the joy and wisdom he injects into every paragraph. He is often considered a Chinese thinker, but this is only partially true. His very broad studies and experiences make him a true cosmopolitan, the sort it is hard to find today. The Importance of Living is really a call to appreciate the earthly pleasures of life and not take so seriously the overrated follies of modern civilization. You don't have to completely agree with his views to appreciate his style. The ideal life for Lin Yutang is that of a lazy, wandering Taoist scholar. Not a humorless ascetic, but someone who approaches life with a sense of humor and an ability to enjoy the small pleasures. Yutang identifies himself as a hedonist (later in life he became Christian, but that's another story). There are many self help and new age books out today that tell you how to live a simpler, more spiritual life. This book tells you the same thing in a way that is far wittier and less sanctimonious.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good essence under complicated cover
Comment: What I like about this book is the author's eloquence in evaluating simple acts in our life taken as granted (e.g. laying down, drinking tea, having a nice conversation) and in bringing out their simplicity yet beauty. In this manner, he teaches us how to enjoy them as they are and therefore gain a deeper appreciation of life itself. This book is like a reminder of things that we already knew but became forgotten as we grow older and is a collection of concrete philosophical ideas that would enrich our way of living.
The downside of this book is the tendency of the author to be verbose and to use complicated expressions. It is somewhat a vocabulary marathon to understand what he writes, not to mention the chinese expressions oftenly used without clear explanation (even with the explanation summary at the end of the book). The other is the impresssion of somewhat chinese-centric and xenophobic writing style.
In conclusion, this book is valuable in the way it reminds us the importance and enjoyment of living. It is however not an easy reading, and his writing style needs some getting used to.
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Title: My Country and My People by Yutang Lin ISBN: 9971642050 Publisher: Halcyon House Pub. Date: 01 January, 1938 |
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Title: Moment in Peking by Yutang Lin ISBN: 9997412575 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: June, 1939 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: The Way of Life According to Laotzu: An American Version by Witter Bynner, Lao-Tzu ISBN: 0399512985 Publisher: Perigee Pub. Date: January, 1995 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Wisdom of Confucius (Wisdom Library) by Confucius ISBN: 0806522879 Publisher: Citadel Trade Pub. Date: November, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Te-Tao Ching by Robert G.Henricks, Lao-Tzu ISBN: 0679600604 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 07 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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