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The Outsider

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The Outsider

By: Colin Wilson
Narrated by: Mark Peachey
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About this listen

The classic study of alienation, creativity and the modern mind

'Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation' GUARDIAN

THE OUTSIDER was an instant literary sensation when it was first published in 1956, thrusting its youthful author into the front rank of contemporary writers and thinkers. Wilson rationalised the psychological dislocation so characteristic of Western creative thinking into a coherent theory of alienation, and defined those affected by it as a type: the outsider. Through the works and lives of various artists, including Kafka, Camus, Hemingway, Hesse, Lawrence, Van Gogh, Shaw, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, Wilson explored the psyche of the outsider, his effect on society and society's on him.

Nothing that has happened in the decades since has made THE OUTSIDER any less relevant; it remains the seminal work on this most persistent of modern-day preoccupations.

©1956 Colin Wilson (P)2025 W F Howes Ltd Art & Literature Artists, Architects & Photographers Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Humanism
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I remember reading this book soon after leaving school. At the time I thought how much more ‘enjoyable’ school might have been had we studied authors like Kafka, Sartre, Dostoyevsky & Camus etc, etc (along with the more obvious Shakespeare & Austin!). Whilst this wasn’t exactly possible (or even sensible) reading about societal ‘outsiders’ did have a huge impact on me & facilitated a lifelong love of reading & literature exploration.
When I saw this as an audiobook I immediately purchased it & it’s just as fascinating, influential & inspirational as I remember it being.
The narrator is excellent (speed, intonation, pace etc) & I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone interested in literature, social isolation &/or philosophy. Indeed, The Outsider is as relevant today as it was when it was first published.
Buy ‘n’ Enjoy!!!

A superb exploration of philosophy & social isolation

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