Theodore Zeldin

What is the point of working so hard? What can replace the shortage of soulmates? What else can one do in a hotel? Through these questions, and many others, Zeldin demonstrates that both the greatest problem and the greatest opportunity of the twenty-first century lie in our relationships with others. With endless examples from his unparalleled research and his experiences with the giants of modern business and politics, this book reveals how our society is full of untapped potential for human interactions. Zeldin illuminates how our lives can be enriched by the realisation that it is only by truly relating to others that we get a taste, even just a nibble, of what it is possible to experience as a human being.

By the bestselling author of Conversation and An Intimate History of Humanity A guide to new ambitions in work, relationships and learning Table of Contents: What is the great adventure of our time? What is a wasted life? How can people lose their illusions about themselves? What alternatives are there to being a rebel? What can the poor tell the rich? What could the rich tell the poor? How many ways of committing suicide are there? How can an unbeliever understand a believer? How can a religion change? How can prejudices be overcome? How else can one think about the future, apart from trying to predict it or worrying about it? Is ridicule the most effective form of non-violent protest? How does one acquire a sense of humour? What stops people feeling completely at home in their own country? How many nations can one love at the same time? Why do so many people feel unappreciated, unloved and only half alive? How else might women and men treat one another? What can replace the shortage of soul-mates? Is another kind of sexual revolution achievable? What can artists aim for beyond self-expression? What is more interesting than becoming a leader? What is the point of working so hard? Are there more amusing ways of earning a living? What else can one do in a hotel? What more can the young ask of their elders? Is remaining young at heart enough to avoid becoming old? What is worth knowing? What does it mean to be alive? Where can one find nourishment for the mind? Winner of the Salon London Transmission Prize