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The Descent of Man
The Descent of Man
Sep 20, 2024 2:38 PM

Author:Grayson Perry,Jonny Phillips

The Descent of Man

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry, read by Jonny Phillips.

'GRAYSON PERRY FOR KING AND QUEEN OF ENGLAND. Imagine how BRILLIANT our country would look if he was.' Caitlin Moran

Grayson Perry has been thinking about masculinity - what it is, how it operates, why little boys are thought to be made of slugs and snails - since he was a boy. Now, in this funny and necessary book, he turns round to look at men with a clear eye and ask, what sort of men would make the world a better place, for everyone?

What would happen if we rethought the old, macho, outdated version of manhood, and embraced a different idea of what makes a man? Apart from giving up the coronary-inducing stress of always being 'right' and the vast new wardrobe options, the real benefit might be that a newly fitted masculinity will allow men to have better relationships - and that's happiness, right?

Grayson Perry admits he's not immune from the stereotypes himself - as the psychoanalysts say, 'if you spot it, you've got it' - and his thoughts on everything from power to physical appearance, from emotions to a brand new Manifesto for Men, are shot through with honesty, tenderness and the belief that, for everyone to benefit, upgrading masculinity has to be something men decide to do themselves. They have nothing to lose but their hang-ups.

Reviews

GRAYSON PERRY FOR KING AND QUEEN OF ENGLAND. Imagine how BRILLIANT our country would look if he was.

—— Caitlin Moran

Solomon unites human history around the world through his intimate, personal accounts.

—— Will Coldwell , Guardian

He is an engaging guide – keen-eyed, self-reflective, shrewd, humane – and these articles have a pleasing passion.

—— Caroline Moorehead , Guardian

Andrew Solomon is every bit as magnificent a traveler as he is a writer - in fact, it's difficult at times to determine which is the greater talent. Thankfully, the reader gets to experience both gifts throughout the pages of this deeply impressive and profoundly moving collection. Here is man whose curiosities are vast (politics, art, food, psychology, anthropology), and whose intellect is beautifully honed, but whose spirit is humble and whose heart is enormous. You will not only know the world better after having seen it through Solomon's eyes, you will also care about it more.

—— Elizabeth Gilbert

This is a beautiful book, inspired by love of ‘away' and uncertainty about ‘home,' a celebration of freedom which valuably warns that freedom must sometimes be learned. Much more than 'travel writing,' it's a portrait of our world, made by someone who has been there.

—— Salman Rushdie

From Cape Town to Bucharest, and Hangzhou to Tripoli, Andrew Solomon’s Far and Away is positively Whitmanian in its openness to difficulty and its embodiment of wonder. I felt exposed and expanded. This book is an ecstatic provocation to understand ourselves not as citizens of nations but as citizens of the entire world, a world whose territories are glorious and troubled and desperately connected.

—— Leslie Jamison

Andrew Solomon’s magisterial Far and Away collects a quarter-century of soul-shaking essays.

—— Vanity Fair

His writing is never less than deeply perceptive, and wonderfully humane.

—— Caroline Sanderson , Bookseller

Greater than the sum of its parts. It sparkles with insights great and small on the countries and people that [Andrew Solomon] has had the privilege to meet over the last quarter century. Although his perceptions are keen, what he delivers best and with enchanting clarity are their truths, fears, regrets, and hopes. Readers will most certainly be inspired to book a flight, finishing this book en route to some faraway place.

—— Booklist

Solomon’s writing captures the sweep of history and social upheaval through vivid, fine-grained reportage that’s raptly attuned to individual experience.

—— Publishers Weekly

Agile, informative, even revelatory pieces that, together, show us both the great variety of humanity and the interior of a gifted writer’s heart.

—— Kirkus

Far and Away is literary journalism at its cracking best.

—— Sara Wheeler , Mail on Sunday

The pieces, covering 25 years, are brilliant…models of unsparing lucidity and trenchant observation.

—— Financial Times

One of the most original thinkers of our time.

—— Travel Extra Magazine

Solomon is an attentive and inquisitive anatomist of the ways that art is made within a society.

—— Alex Clark , Times Literary Supplement

Solomon has an outsider’s eagle eye. A dazzling volume.

—— Sara Wheeler , Spectator, Book of the Year

[A] wonderful collection of essays… Dip in and out, and you will be richly rewarded over and again.

—— Erica Wagner , New Statesman

This is a book to open the eyes and broaden the mind.

—— World of Cruising

As always, Solomon gets into the far corners of things, including people’s minds… He’s also very sharp on South Africa, China, Libya, Romania, and Brexit Britain, among others. He’s an expert on turmoil.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard
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