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Daniel M. Klein
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Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life Hardcover – October 30, 2012

by Daniel Klein (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,220 ratings
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One of the bestselling authors of Plato and a Platypus travels to Greece with a suitcase full of philosophy books, seeking the best way to achieve a fulfilling old age

Daniel Klein journeys to the Greek island Hydra to discover the secrets of aging happily. Drawing on the lives of his Greek friends, as well as philosophers ranging from Epicurus to Sartre, Klein learns to appreciate old age as a distinct and extraordinarily valuable stage of life. He uncovers simple pleasures that are uniquely available late in life, as well as headier pleasures that only a mature mind can fully appreciate. A travel book, a witty and accessible meditation, and an optimistic guide to living well, Travels with Epicurus is a delightful jaunt to the Aegean and through the terrain of old age led by a droll philosopher. A perfect gift book for the holidays, this little treasure is sure to please longtime fans of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar and garner new ones, young and old
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.3 x 1 x 7.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0143121936
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0143121930
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following a trip to his dentist, 73-year-old Klein considers his options after being advised that he needs tooth implants or a denture. Klein (Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar) opts for a sojourn to the Greek island of Hydra. Accompanied by a suitcase crammed with philosophy books, Klein contemplates the Greek philosopher Epicurus' pivotal question. He fundamentally wanted to know how to make the most of his one life, writes Klein. Eschewing the forever young treadmill many American's embrace, Klein explores a different path, examining the relaxed Greek lifestyle surrounding him. He laments what's lost in the frantic rush to stay youthful: And we have no time left for a calm and reflective appreciation of our twilight years, no deliciously long afternoons sitting with friends or listening to music or musing about the story of our lives. The author ruminates on the benefits of freeing ourselves from the prison of everyday affairs; the pleasures of companionship in old age; battling boredom; the difference between sexual urges and sexual nostalgia; and the value of facing death blissfully. Along the way, Klein touches on the ideas of Bertrand Russell, Erik Erikson, Aristotle, and William James. Klein's narrative is a delightful and spirited conversation, offering up the ingredients inherent to the art of living well in old age. Agent: Julia Lord. (Nov.)

From Booklist

Klein (Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, 2008, among others) returned to the Greek island of Hydra at age 73. His return had a new and specific purpose: “I want to figure out the most satisfying way to live this stage of my life.” Prior experience with the island led to conclude that the “old folks of Hydra have always struck me as uncommonly content with their stage in life.” But just observing and absorbing what the people had to show and tell him didn’t seem like quite enough. To augment his on-site learning, he took with him a stack of philosophy books by ancient Greeks as well as some modern writers. It’s an interesting formula, resulting in a lovely little book with both heart and punch, an argument against the “forever young” syndrome so prevalent in contemporary American society. His contemplative time spent observing the old men of Hydra while reading his small library of the great thinkers led him to an “evolving philosophy of a good and authentic old age.” --Brad Hooper

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; 1st edition (October 30, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143121936
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143121930
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 1 x 7.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,220 ratings

About the author

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Daniel M. Klein

Daniel M. Klein

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Daniel Martin Klein (born 1939 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, and humor. His most notable work is Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar co-written with Thomas Cathcart. It was a New York Times bestseller and is translated into 26 languages.

Klein went to school at Harvard College where he received a B.A. in philosophy. After a brief career in television comedy, he began writing books, ranging from thrillers and mysteries to humorous books about philosophy. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and is married to Freke Vuijst, American correspondent for the Dutch newsweekly, ‘Vrij Nederland’.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,220 global ratings
A meditation on aging gracefully and living life to the fullest..
5 Stars
A meditation on aging gracefully and living life to the fullest..
Written by a septuagenarian, the book explores the central question of aging well, gracefully and mindfully.It discusses the virtues of not rushing through life wanting to always be young but at a certain age to accept one is aging and to live in happily with simple pleasures.A great book. Recommended reading.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jacques Phillipe
5.0 out of 5 stars Travels with Epicurus, by Dan Klein
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2012
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"Travels with Epicurus" is a superb book—stimulating, sagacious, funny, very well-written—a fascinating exploration of how to live wisely in old age. Dan Klein, the author, distinguishes between "old age" and "old old age." I distinguish between "old age" and "decline." We mean the same thing. In old age, one remains healthy enough to live fully. "Travels with Epicurus" is an unpredictable, charming ramble into what "living fully" in old age can mean.

The book weaves together philosophers, especially the fascinating Epicurus, with tales of the author's return to Hydra, where he'd lived forty years earlier, and the author's personal insights into what truly matters when old. What does not matter, he argues persuasively, is continued striving or trying to remain"forever young." What matters include the pleasures of friends and companionship, including a mate, and mental pleasures.

Even when I quarrel with the author, I appreciate that's he's provoked me to ponder and reflect. He states that old age can be the pinnacle of life. I'm dubious. I can no longer play basketball, which I loved for almost sixty years; without basketball, how can my old age be a pinnacle? Still, the author asks the right questions about old age, from exploring what positives spirituality can actually offer to how one deals with sexuality.

Integral to the book is the author's lively wit and sharp sense of humor. A book that is wise, delightfully-original, funny and concise. Can't do better than that.
2 people found this helpful
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MoseyOn
4.0 out of 5 stars Old Men, Take Heart
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015
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Daniel Klein is an old man. This a self-identification. There is no objective tipping point at which someone goes from not old to old, but Klein figures that at the age of 73 he more than qualifies, and it doesn’t bother him a bit. In this book, he spends some time on the Greek island of Hydra to sort through some of his thoughts on old age, mortality, philosophy, leisure, friendship, and assorted other topics that might occur to a man of 73 surrounded by the sights and associations of a small island populated by people who, as Klein describes them, seem to have philosophy in their blood.

Klein’s message is this: Familiarity with philosophy, and particularly with the Greek philosopher Epicurus, whose chief concern was how to life a good and happy life, is the best guide to negotiating the uncertainties surrounding old age. Rather than denying biology and pursuing eternal youth, it is much healthier (mentally, emotionally, maybe spiritually) to embrace old age and its pleasures. These pleasures are not substitutes for, or watered-down versions of, the pleasures of youth. They are instead mature pleasures that must have a lifetime of experience behind them to be enjoyed. One of these is a different way of remembering. Drawing on the psychologist Erik Erikson, Klein maintains that “mature and wise ways of reminiscing are precisely what we need in an authentic old age” (p. 74). He doesn’t argue that old men should just sit around reminiscing. His point is that one should enjoy what old age has to offer. There is nothing to be feared. It’s what he describes as “old old age” that is the real unpleasantness. But as with youth, middle age, and old age, there is no definitive point at which one stage ends and another begins, and a good supply of philosophical texts can help make sense of it all.

The gist of Klein’s philosophical explorations is captured in two passages, one from Epicurus and one from the Roman stoic Seneca (demonstrating Klein’s point that philosophy is a good guide to life). Epicurus: “Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance” (p. xi). Seneca: “The wise man . . . always reflects concerning the quality, not the quantity, of his life” (p. 128).

Klein offers a gentle and humane reflection on the pleasures of philosophy, of companionship, of good conversation, and some of the other pleasures that await the mindful old man. So take heart. There is life after middle age!
7 people found this helpful
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Judith Holland
5.0 out of 5 stars A life well lived and finished
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013
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This book was especially enjoyable and relevant to me because I am 71 and have been musing over many of the issues that Klein addresses. I was gratified that he was willing to share his insights and uncertainties about how to not only best live these last years (the old years before the old old years set in) but also the controversial issue of the afterlife. The very thoughtful (yet sometimes irreverent) and mellow tone of his ramblings on living and dying, not surprising for a philosophical guy, and his frequent references to how the heavyweights weighed in on these pithy issues, was enlightening and thought provoking. As we approach our twilight years, it is inevitable that we mull over many of the questions that Klein poses. I found the book to be a great read and recommend it unequivocally.

The only bone that I pick with Klein's thesis is that he seems a bit too willing to be and to act "old". He is somewhat dismissive of the "forever young" approach to this period in our lives. If, by that, he is referring to plastic surgery, Botox and hair dying, especially for men, then I would tend to agree. However, out here in SoCal, we think more in terms of being forever fit...there is a big difference. Forever fit means a better, more enjoyable life style, a greater appreciation of outdoor activities and more enjoyable social activities. There is still a place for quiet contemplation, listening to music and book reading but is must be balanced. And, hopefully, forever fit means postponing the onset of those dreaded old old years.
4 people found this helpful
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Teodora Noev
3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing, getting lost in philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2023
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This I the second time I’m reading this book, few years apart. I love the beginning, the beautiful description of life on Hydra and the handsome and fulfilled old man at Dimitri’s taverna. Had the author continued with this simple, yet powerful expression of a fulfilled life in old age, I’d have thoroughly enjoyed my journey reading the book and would have given it four to five stars.
However, he gets too dry and philosophical quoting ancient philosophers. I also believe that author's approach was somewhat gender biased, most of the time referring to the experiences of men in older age.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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SnowSun
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, charming book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2023
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So intelligent and thoughtful, and some beautiful writing too. I read it a few years ago and liked it very much. Now a few years older I read it again and appreciated it even more.
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lectrice
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the second time I read it (after five years) and I like it very much.
Reviewed in France on March 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
The author, as 72 year old person reflects, during a sejourn at a greek island, on a way to Happiness in old age. He does so accompanied by philosophical and psychological books he took with him in his luggage. At the end, he says: "By simply being aware of the old-age options that philosophers like Plato, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Sartre, and Erikson examined and commended to us, we can make authentic choices for how we want to conduct this period of our lives. We can try their ideas on for size, see how they fit with our considered values. This may be what it means to grow old philosophically." His own reflections and experiences make this book, at least for me, a book I will return each year from now. This is the second time I read it (after five years) and I like it very much. Of course, this is only my personal opinion.
One person found this helpful
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Buchfreundin
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Mann gestattet sich, alt werden zu dürfen!
Reviewed in Germany on November 15, 2019
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Sehr schöne Reflexionen zu den Anstrengungen des Immer-Jung-Kult. Das Buch ist amüsant und ermutigt dazu, so alt zu sein, wie man eben ist.
Angestoßen wird das Ganze durch die Empfehlung des Zahnarzt für eine Grundsanierung des Gebisses im Wert eines Kleinwagens, das monatelange, schmerzhafte, Zahnarztgänge bedeuten würde. Unser Held hält inne und fährt erst mal auf eine griechische Insel. Die alten Männer dort sitzen in den Cafés und scheinen würdig alt werden zu dürfen - Moussaka geht auch mit weniger Zähnen!
2 people found this helpful
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Indraj Raj
5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophical
Reviewed in India on October 30, 2018
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Light, funny and philosophical
One person found this helpful
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terry k. saunders
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!!!!!
Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2013
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I LOVE this book. I'm about the same age as the author so I felt I could relate to his ideas. He doesn't provide pat answers to dealing with aging, but gives you a treasure trove of insights and thoughts to think on the issues that we have to deal with as we age. I love the greek setting. I feel it does help you develop a better attitude to life as we approach our 'sunset years'. I've been giving copies of this book as gifts to family and friends who are in their 60's and older who are having difficulty dealing with getting old.
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