Available as Hardback
A revelatory read to reorientate your life, Consolations II deepens David Whyte’s exploration of all facets of our world through the prism of everyday words and invites reader to think more deeply about the choices that influence our lives
David Whyte’s Consolations use everyday words to present us with a prism through which to better understand ourselves and the lives we walk through. At the request of readers globally, Whyte returns with fifty-two short, elegant meditations on a single word ranging from ‘Anxiety’ to ‘Body’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Shame’ and ‘Moon’. He embraces their nuances, amplitudes and depths, and, in doing so, confronts realities that many of us would spend a lifetime trying senselessly to avoid.
In Consolations II, anxiety might be more mercifully understood as the preparation for being hurt, fixed beliefs are recognised as the very places where we do not wish to understand, guilt is a friend compassionately waiting for us to catch up and routine becomes a form of ritual and worship. Each piece in this life-affirming book is an invitation to slow down, shift our perspective and find comfort. In these pages, Whyte explores the full constellation of human experience.
“Praise for Consolations: ‘Elegant, tiny essays on the consoling power of words, written by one of my favourite living poets. I think Whyte is as much a mystic as an author, and this book proves it. Beautiful, soulful, thoughtful … Keep this book by your bedside forever. I know I will”
Elizabeth Gilbert
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“We think we know what we are talking about, the meaning of things, the basic rules of language, until we read David Whyte’s Consolations where we are forced to reassess everything and begin again. Such an essential and beautiful book”
Nick Cave
”Consolations, it bears repeating, is an absolutely magnificent read — the kind that reorients your world and remains a compass for a lifetime”
Maria Popova
“A word can know you better than you know yourself and I did not fully understand this until I read Consolations. It is an immensely powerful book. It is an extraordinary book … You will want to keep it forever”
Lemn Sissay
“[Whyte’s essays] rescue us without letting us off the hook, they lay bare our self-delusions while showing us that right there, where we least expect it, an innocence is waiting to be recovered. Who knew such penetrating, much-needed wisdom could be such a delight”
Henry Shukman
David Whyte
DAVID WHYTE is an Anglo-Irish poet and philosopher. He has said that all of his poetry and philosophy are based on ‘the conversational nature of reality’. Whyte grew up with a strong imaginative influence from his Irish mother, among the hills and valleys of his father’s Yorkshire. He now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The internationally acclaimed author of twelve books of poetry and four books of prose, David Whyte holds a degree in Marine Zoology and has travelled extensively, including living and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands and leading expeditions in the Andes, Amazon and Himalayas. He is a founder of Invitas: The Institute for Conversational Leadership and brings his wealth of experience to his poetry, lectures and workshops, speaking to audiences around the planet. He is the recipient of two honorary degrees.
davidwhyte.com | @davidjwhyte