Inner Companions

by Colman McCarthy

The Washington Post journalist discusses the famous and lesser-known poets, novelists, playwrights, political and social activists, philosophers, psychologists, saints, and other thinkers, who have become his inner companions.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1975

About the author

American journalist, teacher and peace activist.

Reviews

[Charlie Cray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Washington Post columnist Coman McCarthy is justifiably famous for his seminars on non-violence. I took one about 15 years ago and got as much out of it (maybe more) than any NVCD training by colleagues or peace movement activists.

Here he writes a series of short (5-6 pages) but substantial portraits of an array of activists (Dorothy Day, Paulo Freire, DuBois), writers (Orwell, Levertov, Claude McCay, Jean Toomer, Heinrich Boll), spirtitual giants and thinkers/philosophers (Frankl, Jung, Simone Weil) -- most of whom you'll probably never have heard of (Florida Scott-Maxwell, Paul Hanly Furfey, Harry Caudil).

In his seminars McCarthy impressed me as having a steel-trap memory for names and facts. He was an amazing teacher. I'm reading this book the way he probably intended -- dipping in occasionally rather than reading straight through -- when my interest in one of these "inner companions" is piqued.

It's remarkable to think that many of these essays first appeared in the Post.

[Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, which is hard to find, is just a series of small essays but McCarthy about how various writers and philosophers have impacted him over the years.
More interesting is how he interprets those writers and summaries their thoughts and arguments.
Not bad.