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Michael Harris

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Born

in Vancouver, Canada

Website

http://www.MichaelJohnHarris.com

Twitter

Vancouverharris

Genre

Nonfiction

Member Since

December 2013

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Michael Harris is the bestselling author of The End of Absence, Solitude, and All We Want. A recipient of the Governor General’s Literary Award, he is also a faculty member in the Literary Journalism program at the Banff Centre and the writer of the award-winning podcast Command Line Heroes. He lives with his husband in Vancouver. MichaelJohnHarris.com

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Hi Michael, Prior to writing Solitude, what pieces of literature/authors did you first lean on as sources inspiration? What books aided you in your research? Austin austin.s.dean@gmail.com

Michael Harris Hi Austin, Thanks for the question. There were two main streams of literature I was dipping into for this book.

First stream: books about the nature o…moreHi Austin, Thanks for the question. There were two main streams of literature I was dipping into for this book.

First stream: books about the nature of aloneness or solitude. Anthony Storr's book Solitude was certainly a great inspiration. Also, the work of Sara Maitland.

Second stream: books on media and our relationship with the internet. I try to read broadly about human interactions with technology. So: Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Lewis Mumford, and Elizabeth Eisenstein are all fascinating, even though they were writing before online life rose to dominance. More contemporary authors that I've relied on include: Nicholas Carr, Sherry Turkle, James Gleick, Clive Thompson, Tim Wu, and Daniel Levitin.

All that said: if you're looking for another book to read about solitude, I would absolutely point you toward Storr's book. It's a gem.

Hope that helps!
And all best,
Michael(less)

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Michael Harris’s books

Average rating: 3.64 · 4,332 ratings · 666 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World 3.66 avg rating — 2,176 ratings — published 2017 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Connection 3.63 avg rating — 1,845 ratings — published 2014 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All We Want: Building the Life We Cannot Buy 3.57 avg rating — 307 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Labs #1 by Michael Harris (Goodreads Author), Kenny Park (Artist) 3.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2017	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael Harris rated a book it was amazing All We Want: Building the Life We Cannot Buy by Michael Harris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 11, 2025 04:04PM · 1 like · like

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Quotes by Michael Harris (?)

“When we think we're multitasking we're actually multiswitching. That is what the brain is very good at doing - quickly diverting its attention from one place to the next. We think we're being productive. We are, indeed, being busy. But in reality we're simply giving ourselves extra work.”
― Michael Harris

tags: brain, mind, modern-life, multitasking, work

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“we aren’t lonely because we are alone; we are lonely because we have failed in our solitude.”
― Michael Harris, The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Connection

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“If solitude feels painful, it's only because we don't know how to be alone.”
― Michael Harris

tags: aloneness, loneliness, self, solitude

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21st Century Lite...: Canadian Governor General Literary Awards 2014	1	17	Nov 18, 2014 08:23PM
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