Stephen groszs the examined life by lucy scholes, the daily beast, june, 20 ive always found. I cant think of a reader who wouldnt benefit from the insights stephen grosz presents. This year, psychologies is working with vintage books to bring you twelve reasons to feel better in 2014. Its success demonstrates our need to understand and to be understood, he tells katie law. An interview with psychoanalyst stephen grosz in twentyfive years as a psychoanalyst, stephen grosz has spent more than 50,000 hours listening to his patients stories. Writing in the new york times, michiko kakutani said, the examined life shares the best literary qualities of freuds most persuasive work. Stephen grosz is a practicing psychoanalysthe has worked with patients for more than twentyfive years. Seeking praise stephen grosz revisited norah colvin. The book was met with acclaim on both sides of the atlantic.
Stephen grosz has spent more than 50,000 hours listening to his patients stories. Thats an inherent doubt which applies to any oneonone interview or. The examined life is an immensely personal work, and something much more than just a legacy of advice. The examined life distils over 50,000 hours of conversation into pure psychological insight, without the jargon. Every month we will delve into the the shelf help list, composed of literary books that have the power to make life brighter. In one of his books 30 pithy chapters, a woman describes to him how she was. His first book, the examined life, published last year. How we lose and find ourselves by stephan grosz genre. Echoing socrates timehonoured statement that the unexamined life is not worth living, psychoanalyst stephen grosz draws short, vivid stories from his 25year. The characters in the examined life are as ordinary as they are perplexing, and uncovering the hidden emotions and motivations behind their behaviours is perhaps exciting because it gives us clues to our own. How we lose and find ourselves tells stories of everyday people, with.
The examined life by stephen grosz, 9780701185350, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Drawing on his 25 years experience over 50,000 hours spent listening and responding to those who have come to seek his help he presents us with a series of gripping vignettes. Neatly, grosz has collected the short insights into his work into 5 separate sections. The examined life carries a manifesto in its title. This examination, i presume, is how grosz sees his profession as a psychoanalyst. The discussion that day was riveting and i ended up buying both grosz and cohens book. This is perhaps unsurprising when it comes to men and women who must be somewhat of a blank slate. How we lose and find ourselves, he could not have predicted the success it would become. Stephen grosz will be talking about his acclaimed book the examined life. Stephen groszs extraordinary book ushers us quietly into the room where the psychoanalyst and his patient sit and allows us to eavesdrop on their conversation. The examined life quotes by stephen grosz goodreads. In 20, stephen grosz published his first book, the examined life, a collection of psychoanalytic insights gathered over twentyfive years of clinical work. Richard holloway talks to psychoanalyst stephen grosz about his new book. Stephen groszs the examined life by lucy scholes, the daily beast, june, 20 ive always found psychoanalysts slightly awkward interview subjects.
Stephen discussing his book the examined life on radio new zealands saturday morning with kim hill. Writing with an elegance and poignancy that would make raymond carver envious. The book was serialised as book of the week on bbc radio 4 in january 2012, and spent 10 weeks on the sunday times nonfiction bestseller list. Stephen groszthe examined lifebookbits author interview. Originally published in 2014, the examined life is a series of brief, reallife anecdotes taken from groszs 25year career as a therapist. Stephen groszs collection of case histories makes the case for psychoanalysis in the. The examined life describes psychoanalysiss power the. The book also appears to be groszs way of managing his own mortality and the potential. Even so, it has been steadily climbing bestseller lists, both in the u.
Echoing socrates statement that the unexamined life not worth living, psychoanalyst stephen grosz draws on his twentyfive years of work and more than 50,000 hours of conversations to form a collection of beautifully rendered tales that illuminate the human experience. He talks about the response to his collection, with louse. The examined life is a 20 collection of essays by practising psychoanalyst stephen grosz, which is an attempt to distil over 50,000 hours of conversation into pure psychological insight, without the jargon. This is an extract from stephen groszs the examined life. An interview with psychoanalyst stephen grosz by jessica gross, the brooklyn quarterly, october, 2014.
Psychoanalyst stephen grosz became an unlikely bestselling author with the publication of his book of case histories, the examined mind. Outside, the glare of the winter sun has given way to the airless purple of a cold january evening. Interview with psychoanalyst stephen grosz the brooklyn quarterly. What is of most significant to one, may be of lesser importance, or even insignificant to another. The examined life quotes showing 120 of 20 closure is just as delusiveit is the false hope that we can deaden our living grief. An examined life is a compilation of over 30 case stories, each brief and illuminating. How we lose and find ourselves, by stephen grosz, is published by vintage books.
The examined life, by stephen grosz, describes the process of psychoanalysis and how the ways people connect the past, present and future reflect their capacity to change. His first book, the examined life, published last year, presents a selection of these in beautiful and incisive prose. The examined life is a series of 30 vignettes, taken from encounters that occurred between stephen grosz and his patients in the very room where we are sitting. This extraordinary book is about one ordinary process. Buy the examined life by stephen grosz with free delivery. The examined life by stephen grosz business insider. The success of the examined life by the psychoanalyst stephen grosz has, i think, relatively little to do with his clinical knowhow. This examination, i presume, is how grosz sees his. He has been consultant adult psychotherapist at the portman clinic in london.
When hampstead psychoanalyst stephen grosz sat down to write the examined life. Stephen grosz the examined life saying that what appeals to a reader about a book, or what a reader takes away from a book is as individual and personal as the reader. Instead, the examined life is a short examination on the human condition. Grosz is a psychoanalyst and had written this book about the different stories of his patients obviously changing the names, but presenting a fascinating account of how different people deal. The second part of their conversation follows below. Stephen grosz born 1952 is a psychoanalyst and author born in indiana and educated at the university of california, berkeley and balliol college, oxford, grosz teaches clinical technique at the institute of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic theory at university college london. While most are about his patients, a few take us into the world of his family and friends. Sunday times bestellerthis book is about learning to live. Psychoanalyst stephen grosz has spent more than 25 years listening to patients talk about their problems.
Born in america, educated at the university of california, berkeley, and at oxford university, he lives in london. How we lose and find ourselves, a collection of vignettes based on his 25 years as a psychoanalyst, is an unlikely bestseller. The astute insights grosz draw from his patients emotional struggles are some of the most poignant and striking features of the book. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. This selection of life stories he has heard in his consulting room has sold more than 40,000 copies in the uk alone, and been translated into 20 different languages in 23 countries. This collection of tales from the couch of psychoanalyst, stephen grosz had me enthralled. Psychoanalyst stephen groszs book, the examined life, has been a surprise bestseller. Just to have written one book like this in his lifetime is something i am so grateful to stephen grosz for. I wrote about it in my previous post a book worth reading. Remarkable for a short, nonfiction book on such a narrow topic.
Last week, the brooklyn quarterly published the first part of jessica grosss indepth interview psychoanalyst stephen grosz, author of the examined life, described in the new york times as a combination of chekhov and oliver sacks. A sunday times bestseller, the examined life is his first book. How we lose and find ourselves by stephen grosz at indigo. Please join us in raising funds for caspari foundation. All the stories in the examined life work like this, on two levels. Its aphoristic and elegant stories teach us a new kind of attentiveness. In twentyfive years as a psychoanalyst, stephen grosz has spent more than 50,000 hours listening to his patients stories. The examined life by stephen grosz in his latest book, london psychiatrist stephen grosz draws on 50,000 hours of conversations and 25 years of his working life. Beginnings, telling lies, loving, changing and leaving.
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