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Philosophy In The Garden
Why did Marcel Proust have bonsai beside his bed? What was Jane Austen doing, coveting an apricot? How was Friedrich Nietzsche inspired by his ‘thought tree'?
In Philosophy in the Garden, Damon Young explores one of literature's most intimate relationships: authors and their gardens. For some, the garden provided a retreat from workaday labour; for others, solitude's quiet counsel. For all, it played a philosophical role: giving their ideas a new life.
Philosophy in the Garden reveals the profound thoughts discovered in parks, backyards and pot-plants. It does not provide tips for mowing overgrown cooch grass, or mulching a dry Japanese maple. It is a philosophical companion to the garden's labours and joys.
In Philosophy in the Garden, Damon Young explores one of literature's most intimate relationships: authors and their gardens. For some, the garden provided a retreat from workaday labour; for others, solitude's quiet counsel. For all, it played a philosophical role: giving their ideas a new life.
Philosophy in the Garden reveals the profound thoughts discovered in parks, backyards and pot-plants. It does not provide tips for mowing overgrown cooch grass, or mulching a dry Japanese maple. It is a philosophical companion to the garden's labours and joys.
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2014
25 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
Damon Young
18 books83 followersI'm a philosopher and writer. I'm the author of several popular nonfiction books, published in Australia and overseas in English and translation into twelve languages.
My books include Distraction (2008), Philosophy in the Garden (2013), How to Think About Exercise (2014), The Art of Reading (2016), and On Getting Off: Philosophy and Sex (2020). I've written for outlets including The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, the ABC and BBC, and I'm a regular radio guest.
I have also published poetry, short fiction and six children’s picture books: My Nanna is a Ninja (2014), My Pop is a Pirate (2015), My Sister is a Superhero (2016), My Brother is a Beast (2017), My Mum is a Magician (2018), My Dad is a Dragon (2019).
You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram as @damonayoung.
My books include Distraction (2008), Philosophy in the Garden (2013), How to Think About Exercise (2014), The Art of Reading (2016), and On Getting Off: Philosophy and Sex (2020). I've written for outlets including The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, the ABC and BBC, and I'm a regular radio guest.
I have also published poetry, short fiction and six children’s picture books: My Nanna is a Ninja (2014), My Pop is a Pirate (2015), My Sister is a Superhero (2016), My Brother is a Beast (2017), My Mum is a Magician (2018), My Dad is a Dragon (2019).
You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram as @damonayoung.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 4, 2020
3,5*
Ein Buch, das Philosophie und Garten verbindet, ist fast eine Pflichtlektüre für mich und so ging ich mit zu konkreten Erwartungen ans Lesen. Der australische Autor hat eine scheinbar zufällige Auswahl an historischen Persönlichkeiten in diesem Buch versammelt, deren Beziehungen entweder zum Garten, zur Natur oder zu Pflanzen er erkundet hat und deren philosophische Betrachtungen in Büchern, Briefen oder überlieferten Aussagen er dazu in Einklang bringt. Was mich zuerst irritierte, war die willkürliche Auswahl der Personen, die ich teilweise weder den Philosophen noch den Gärtnern zugeordnet hätte. Da ist z. B. Marcel Proust, der wegen seines schweren Asthma kaum die Wohnung verließ und der deshalb nur ein paar verkümmerte Bonsai zu Hause hatte. Zwar stellt Young Prousts Ansichten in Beziehung zu Japan und den strengen Bonsai, aber es war nicht das, was ich erwartet hatte.
Ungefähr nach der Hälfte des Buches hatte ich mich damit angefreundet, dass ich eher zufällige Zusammenhänge zwischen philosophischen Gedanken und der Beziehung zu Pflanzen im weitesten Sinne erhielt, weil diese sehr gut recherchiert waren und eine riesige Bandbreite abbildeten: Leonard Woolf, der mit seiner Hände Arbeit ein Wunderwerk von Garten schuf, Friedrich Nietzsche, der durch einen Zitronenhain spazierte und immer unter dem gleichen Baum, dem „Gedankenbaum“, einen besonderen Einfall hatte, Rousseau mit seinem „Zurück zur Natur“ bis hin zu Sartre, der sich vor wuchernden Pflanzen ekelte. Mich beeindruckte auch George Orwell, der sich in einem Garten fast zu Tode abrackerte oder Kazantzakis, der in einem japanischen Garten nur mit Steinen und Moos einen Quell des Lebens entdeckte. Die einzelnen Zusammenhänge der Gedanken mit den Gärten (oder Pflanzen) waren unterhaltsam geschrieben und haben zu ein paar Gedankengängen inspiriert. Ich selbst fühle mich bei Gartenarbeit oft in enger Beziehung zur Erde, sozusagen geerdet, bodenständig. Dieses Gefühl teilte keine der aufgeführten Personen, dabei hatte ich gerade dies zuerst erwartet. Ebenso erwartete ich, als ich im Inhaltverzeichnis Leonard Woolf entdeckte und bemerkte, dass es ebenso um Virginia ging, dass wenigstens in einem Satz ihre Beziehung zu Vita Sackville-West und der Gestaltung des Gartens Sissinghurst Erwähnung finden würde, aber das kam wohl in der von Young verwendeten Literatur nicht vor.
Wer Freude an philosophischen Überlegungen und Pflanzen hat und ein gut verständliches und unterhaltsames Buch sucht, ist hiermit gut beraten. Wer sich gut mit Philosophie auskennt, wird hier nichts Neues finden.
Ein Buch, das Philosophie und Garten verbindet, ist fast eine Pflichtlektüre für mich und so ging ich mit zu konkreten Erwartungen ans Lesen. Der australische Autor hat eine scheinbar zufällige Auswahl an historischen Persönlichkeiten in diesem Buch versammelt, deren Beziehungen entweder zum Garten, zur Natur oder zu Pflanzen er erkundet hat und deren philosophische Betrachtungen in Büchern, Briefen oder überlieferten Aussagen er dazu in Einklang bringt. Was mich zuerst irritierte, war die willkürliche Auswahl der Personen, die ich teilweise weder den Philosophen noch den Gärtnern zugeordnet hätte. Da ist z. B. Marcel Proust, der wegen seines schweren Asthma kaum die Wohnung verließ und der deshalb nur ein paar verkümmerte Bonsai zu Hause hatte. Zwar stellt Young Prousts Ansichten in Beziehung zu Japan und den strengen Bonsai, aber es war nicht das, was ich erwartet hatte.
Ungefähr nach der Hälfte des Buches hatte ich mich damit angefreundet, dass ich eher zufällige Zusammenhänge zwischen philosophischen Gedanken und der Beziehung zu Pflanzen im weitesten Sinne erhielt, weil diese sehr gut recherchiert waren und eine riesige Bandbreite abbildeten: Leonard Woolf, der mit seiner Hände Arbeit ein Wunderwerk von Garten schuf, Friedrich Nietzsche, der durch einen Zitronenhain spazierte und immer unter dem gleichen Baum, dem „Gedankenbaum“, einen besonderen Einfall hatte, Rousseau mit seinem „Zurück zur Natur“ bis hin zu Sartre, der sich vor wuchernden Pflanzen ekelte. Mich beeindruckte auch George Orwell, der sich in einem Garten fast zu Tode abrackerte oder Kazantzakis, der in einem japanischen Garten nur mit Steinen und Moos einen Quell des Lebens entdeckte. Die einzelnen Zusammenhänge der Gedanken mit den Gärten (oder Pflanzen) waren unterhaltsam geschrieben und haben zu ein paar Gedankengängen inspiriert. Ich selbst fühle mich bei Gartenarbeit oft in enger Beziehung zur Erde, sozusagen geerdet, bodenständig. Dieses Gefühl teilte keine der aufgeführten Personen, dabei hatte ich gerade dies zuerst erwartet. Ebenso erwartete ich, als ich im Inhaltverzeichnis Leonard Woolf entdeckte und bemerkte, dass es ebenso um Virginia ging, dass wenigstens in einem Satz ihre Beziehung zu Vita Sackville-West und der Gestaltung des Gartens Sissinghurst Erwähnung finden würde, aber das kam wohl in der von Young verwendeten Literatur nicht vor.
Wer Freude an philosophischen Überlegungen und Pflanzen hat und ein gut verständliches und unterhaltsames Buch sucht, ist hiermit gut beraten. Wer sich gut mit Philosophie auskennt, wird hier nichts Neues finden.
January 2, 2014
What an unusual and engaging book! Damon Young is Honorary Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, which makes him sound rather musty and dusty. On the contrary he is young, hip, and has a very readable style. His premise is very simple – he looks at the lives and works of half-a-dozen authors in relation to their garden (or lack of garden) with a particular focus on their philosophies. I was very familiar with some of the writers’ work (Jane Austen, George Orwell, Emily Dickinson), had tried and failed to read some of the others (Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre) and had never heard of one (Nikos Kazantzakis). Each chapter was full of illuminations and insights. I knew Jane Austen loved her garden but did not realise that her writing suffered when she was away from it. I didn’t know Proust kept bonsai by his bed, or that Friedrich Nietzsche lived in a ménage a trois (this was one chapter when I’d have liked to have none a whole lot more!) I loved discovering Emily Dickinson was a gardener and that her poems were full of flower symbology. Each chapter made me want to know more, and sent me on little expeditions of googling and looking up other books. And I’m now off in search of books by Nikos Kazantzakis (he sounds so brilliant, how could I never have heard of him?) I’d really recommend this for anyone with an enquiring mind (even those who, like Sartre, hated gardens).
September 24, 2019
11 bedeutende Persönlichkeiten und ihre Beziehung zu Gärten. Das mag ganz nett anmuten, ist aber unter der Feder Damon Youngs zu einem meiner absoluten Highlights mutiert. Der Autor steigert sich von Seite zu Seite, erklärt die größten Philosophien in wenigen sinnvollen Sätzen und verleiht dem Buch den Charakter eines kleinen Seminars im vertrauten Rahmen. Es war so spannend zu lesen wie Leonard Woolf den Tod seiner Frau verarbeitete, warum Sartre eigentlich nicht gut schreiben konnte und was Voltaire eigentlich wirklich wollte. Eine absolute Empfehlung! Die Illustrationen hätte das Buch nicht gebraucht und auch das Cover täuscht etwas über den wirklich gelungenen und gewichtigen Inhalt hinweg. Lasst euch davon nicht abhalten ;)
January 17, 2024
leer “voltaire’s vine and other philosophies” de damon young a sido una experiencia exquisita. si bien me entretiene leer novelas e historias ficticias, leer a figuras icónicas de la literatura e introducirse en su vida personal se me hace igual de atractivo y, además, educativo. con lo que me encanta aprender cosas nuevas, este libro me enseñó mucho.
este libro revisa a autores como emily dickinson, jane austen, colette, rousseau, entre otros, con la idea principal de revisar sus trayectorias con algo de lo más repentino: la jardinería. nos encontramos con sus vidas y sus importantes contribuciones a la humanidad, ligadas a la naturaleza y a la importancia de tener un jardín; el valor de las flores, el acto de recoger una pala y plantar semillas, caminar por un sendero lleno de árboles frutales, el comprar una casa en un lugar específico porque su tierra es fértil y permite cultivar y sembrar preciadas especies de plantas, el impacto de cierta especie en la creación de novelas, cartas, poemas y pensamientos reflexivos. en fin, este libro básicamente nos dice: “los más grandes pensadores tuvieron un jardín, y ese jardín fue la fuente de inspiración de muchas novelas, ensayos y poemarios que alguna vez leíste”.
me encantó encontrarme con este libro, jamás había escuchado de él, y agradezco profundamente este tipo de casualidades. lo recomiendo mucho a aquellas personas que gusten de ir más allá a las novelas, que gustan saber de autores y autoras y la importancia de ciertos elementos que nutren la mente humana. amé saber que virginia woolf junto a su esposo compartían la pasión de tener un jardín, que jane austen estuvo diez años sin escribir porque no podía ver sus flores y paisajes (cotidianos) favoritos, que george orwell estuviera siempre sucio porque creía que la suciedad equivalía a ser honesto, que emily dickinson no saliera a ninguna parte a menos que fuese su jardín, o que marcel proust tuviera un bonsai, al lado de su cama, porque era la única cercanía que tenía con la naturaleza debido a su asma. este libro me recuerda que estos grandes iconos, antes que ser magníficas obras, fueron seres humanos, pero muy, muy humanos.
este libro revisa a autores como emily dickinson, jane austen, colette, rousseau, entre otros, con la idea principal de revisar sus trayectorias con algo de lo más repentino: la jardinería. nos encontramos con sus vidas y sus importantes contribuciones a la humanidad, ligadas a la naturaleza y a la importancia de tener un jardín; el valor de las flores, el acto de recoger una pala y plantar semillas, caminar por un sendero lleno de árboles frutales, el comprar una casa en un lugar específico porque su tierra es fértil y permite cultivar y sembrar preciadas especies de plantas, el impacto de cierta especie en la creación de novelas, cartas, poemas y pensamientos reflexivos. en fin, este libro básicamente nos dice: “los más grandes pensadores tuvieron un jardín, y ese jardín fue la fuente de inspiración de muchas novelas, ensayos y poemarios que alguna vez leíste”.
me encantó encontrarme con este libro, jamás había escuchado de él, y agradezco profundamente este tipo de casualidades. lo recomiendo mucho a aquellas personas que gusten de ir más allá a las novelas, que gustan saber de autores y autoras y la importancia de ciertos elementos que nutren la mente humana. amé saber que virginia woolf junto a su esposo compartían la pasión de tener un jardín, que jane austen estuvo diez años sin escribir porque no podía ver sus flores y paisajes (cotidianos) favoritos, que george orwell estuviera siempre sucio porque creía que la suciedad equivalía a ser honesto, que emily dickinson no saliera a ninguna parte a menos que fuese su jardín, o que marcel proust tuviera un bonsai, al lado de su cama, porque era la única cercanía que tenía con la naturaleza debido a su asma. este libro me recuerda que estos grandes iconos, antes que ser magníficas obras, fueron seres humanos, pero muy, muy humanos.
June 27, 2015
This book will satisfy you whether you get what you expected from it, or whether you don't.
It is an exploration of authors, poets, and philosophers and the gardens that influenced them. I don't know if you will learn anything from it, but you will enjoy it all the same.
Damon Young has a remarkable way with words. He's a man who clearly has a romantic infatuation with language and with classic literature (and is perhaps overly smitten with Jane Austen herself..).
Pieced together in digestible chapters, he has somehow managed to seamlessly cobble together brief encounters with these writers, and an examination of the landscapes and gardens that they surround themselves with, or that they yearn for.
I'm using the phrase 'cobble together' in a loving way. He starts with Jane Austen and progresses to Marcel Proust, turns to Leonard Woolf, then spends some time with Friedrich Nietzsche. I'm glad he worked through Orwell's lot (I wouldn't have forgiven him if he hadn't), and I loved the path to Jean-Paul Sartre, and finally, Voltaire.
All told, you traverse twelve landscapes and are treated to numerous philosophies throughout.
I can't describe what you will get beyond that. It is both diverse and detailed. It looks at the interdependence of nature and humanity, and how these great minds have grappled with that in their own way. It considers the mind and the soul, and how the 'garden' is unique to everyone. It can be a source of inspiration or learning, it can bring regret or provide solace. The garden is what you make of it.
An added wealth to this book, is that it has inspired new reading! It is indeed a glorious writer who describes other books and authors with such detail and passion that you immediately want to read them too.
It is an exploration of authors, poets, and philosophers and the gardens that influenced them. I don't know if you will learn anything from it, but you will enjoy it all the same.
Damon Young has a remarkable way with words. He's a man who clearly has a romantic infatuation with language and with classic literature (and is perhaps overly smitten with Jane Austen herself..).
Pieced together in digestible chapters, he has somehow managed to seamlessly cobble together brief encounters with these writers, and an examination of the landscapes and gardens that they surround themselves with, or that they yearn for.
I'm using the phrase 'cobble together' in a loving way. He starts with Jane Austen and progresses to Marcel Proust, turns to Leonard Woolf, then spends some time with Friedrich Nietzsche. I'm glad he worked through Orwell's lot (I wouldn't have forgiven him if he hadn't), and I loved the path to Jean-Paul Sartre, and finally, Voltaire.
All told, you traverse twelve landscapes and are treated to numerous philosophies throughout.
I can't describe what you will get beyond that. It is both diverse and detailed. It looks at the interdependence of nature and humanity, and how these great minds have grappled with that in their own way. It considers the mind and the soul, and how the 'garden' is unique to everyone. It can be a source of inspiration or learning, it can bring regret or provide solace. The garden is what you make of it.
An added wealth to this book, is that it has inspired new reading! It is indeed a glorious writer who describes other books and authors with such detail and passion that you immediately want to read them too.
May 25, 2023
"The garden simply offers an opportunity: for distinctive meditation and contemplation. And it need not be grand or exotic to do this. For all the talk of 'great estates,' the garden's ordinariness is a virtue: the mystery is rarely far away. This philosophical companion still waits, as it did for Socrates, just beyond the gates."
I quite enjoyed this book, particularly the chapters on philosophers like Sartre, Rousseau, and Voltaire. The book provides an overview of the philosophical impact of nature in the works and lives of some of the most consequential and prolific writers and thinkers history has yet produced. While I would have enjoyed a deeper dive into the nuances of specific individuals and their connections to the garden, the book does not claim to provide this. For what it undertakes, it is a triumph.
My only true criticism is to point out the constant and reoccurring grammar error of placing punctuation outside of the quotation marks: a true lapse on the part of both writer and editor.
I quite enjoyed this book, particularly the chapters on philosophers like Sartre, Rousseau, and Voltaire. The book provides an overview of the philosophical impact of nature in the works and lives of some of the most consequential and prolific writers and thinkers history has yet produced. While I would have enjoyed a deeper dive into the nuances of specific individuals and their connections to the garden, the book does not claim to provide this. For what it undertakes, it is a triumph.
My only true criticism is to point out the constant and reoccurring grammar error of placing punctuation outside of the quotation marks: a true lapse on the part of both writer and editor.
January 2, 2023
“-they have made the garden their intellectual and artistic collaborator - a silent partner of sorts.”
Reading about these historic authors, philosophers, poets and great thinkers tending to their gardens, contemplating natural life from their windows and being inspired by the vastness of such quaint and solitary spaces was magical in and of itself! Damon Young paints these figures almost fictionally, the narrative witty and charming in a way that keeps you following every word.
This book was a great companion to have while sitting under a blossom tree, the sounds of birds overhead, the wind swishing through the leaves below, it’s introduced me to my own little haven right under my house. Either finding solitude in observing and acquiring a different eye for imagination or with some of these authors, while digging and getting their hands dirty, the greens, flowers and wildlife unabashedly gives some sort of opportunity to any way of thinking. With some alienation and solitary confinement, and others labour and hard work; each mindset perceives it differently and this book swept me from one great mind to another, from dramatic conclusions by some, to meditative and serene mindsets by others. It encompassed the garden in so many ways, and it makes you crave owning a peace of land of your own to absolutely do anything and everything you wish to do in it, just to finally reach a peace of mind of some sort, or in some way! I loved this book!!🍃
“-the garden simply offers an opportunity for distinctive meditation and contemplation.”
Reading about these historic authors, philosophers, poets and great thinkers tending to their gardens, contemplating natural life from their windows and being inspired by the vastness of such quaint and solitary spaces was magical in and of itself! Damon Young paints these figures almost fictionally, the narrative witty and charming in a way that keeps you following every word.
This book was a great companion to have while sitting under a blossom tree, the sounds of birds overhead, the wind swishing through the leaves below, it’s introduced me to my own little haven right under my house. Either finding solitude in observing and acquiring a different eye for imagination or with some of these authors, while digging and getting their hands dirty, the greens, flowers and wildlife unabashedly gives some sort of opportunity to any way of thinking. With some alienation and solitary confinement, and others labour and hard work; each mindset perceives it differently and this book swept me from one great mind to another, from dramatic conclusions by some, to meditative and serene mindsets by others. It encompassed the garden in so many ways, and it makes you crave owning a peace of land of your own to absolutely do anything and everything you wish to do in it, just to finally reach a peace of mind of some sort, or in some way! I loved this book!!🍃
“-the garden simply offers an opportunity for distinctive meditation and contemplation.”
February 11, 2013
Philosophers occupy a diffident space in Australian public life. No antipodean philosopher dominates debates here in the manner of Europeans like Slavoj Žižek or Bernard-Henri Lévy, gesticulating freely between quick swallows of black coffee. Perhaps the Anglophone reluctance to teach philosophy prior to university explains this; we lack the context of a philosophical education to quite trust how philosophers might frame things.
Read the rest of my review here: The Newtown Review of Books
Read the rest of my review here: The Newtown Review of Books
April 8, 2021
Such a beautiful book. So beautiful I feared it might be a shallow gift-book with a catchy title for philosophy, literature and garden lovers but fortunately it's more than that. It went a bit deeper with the lives of the authors to paint a more realistic portait of the role garden played in their lives, and obviously the relationships with nature are very different for different people. I truly enjoyed Young's style and I would have loved if the book was much longer!
December 12, 2019
Interesting Ruminations
I liked this look at famous authors and thinkers and their relationships with flowers and gardening. It explained a lot.
I liked this look at famous authors and thinkers and their relationships with flowers and gardening. It explained a lot.
December 25, 2021
Interesting, about authors and their use of and need for gardens. Some chapters are definitely better than others, but overall a good read.
June 29, 2025
Rembrandt said: "Choose only one master - nature" and this book explores how this exact approach was taken by philosophers, playwrights and writers, some of our greatest minds.
It is clear the book demanded a lot of research and could be a great extension to other reads, especially for people interested in philosophy on any level.
It is clear the book demanded a lot of research and could be a great extension to other reads, especially for people interested in philosophy on any level.
July 13, 2019
Interessante compositie handelend over verschillende filosofen en literatoren waarbij de link wordt gelegd tussen hun denken en de natuur, hoe werken en tijd spenderen in de natuur en het verrichten van tuinwerk hen heeft geïnspireerd.
June 8, 2021
Konusu itibariyle daha derin bir anlatım, fazlaca felsefi görüş bekliyordum. Yine de keyifle okunan bir kitaptı.
February 9, 2020
Though it was difficult reading, it was a real discovery, which makes it interesting now. I recommend you to read it. I got it as a present from Bethany and Juan.
The book is written by a young Australian writer and philosopher born in Melbourne (1975). This book was published in Australia in December 2012.
The reading was “difficult” mainly because of my own ignorance about the writers that Young mentions in his chapters. I had some ideas (Jane Austen, Leonard Woolf, Collette) because of the recent films I have seen. I had a closer (reading) experience on Orwell, because of my own reading. Well, and I had some ideas because of references made by other writers: Aristotle, Proust, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Dickinson, Kazantzakis, Sartre and Voltaire, Plato and Socrates, which means: I have to read them, giving special attention to Rowell, Rousseau, and Kazantzakis.
My biggest surprise was to discover the relation that all of them had with their concrete gardens, and how they are mentioned in some of their writing.
And
- My early tomato gardening in Puerto Obaldía
- My first composting in 1997 when I had my heart stroke, and the care I took of a bush, which dried a few weeks later, before becoming a small tree.
- Our gardening in Oxford, and,
- Our gardening now in La Costanza.
Now, after reading this book, I am associating my gardening experiences with the writers’ experiences. Now I can see:
- Growing as a flower bottom,
- Surviving close to Nature,
- Discovering the gardening after WWII
- Ying-Yang, Mireya’s weeding, learning simple techniques, understanding the garden as the national (Colombian) life.
We are slowly and nicely moving into our connection with “the big picture’.
“The Garden is, in other words, an invitation to philosophy”.9
“The very Proustian point is clear: from tiny things, grand memories and fantasies unfold”.37
“Woolf: one apple tree at a time”.68
“To <> was to make this world, right here and now, a little better”. 170
Let’s read:
http://www.thenietzschechannel.com/fi...
Read Young’s book “The Art of Reading”
“Growing” 2nd volume of L. Wood’s autobiography
“Rousseau’s Reveries”
“Odysseus”, from Kazantzakis
The book is written by a young Australian writer and philosopher born in Melbourne (1975). This book was published in Australia in December 2012.
The reading was “difficult” mainly because of my own ignorance about the writers that Young mentions in his chapters. I had some ideas (Jane Austen, Leonard Woolf, Collette) because of the recent films I have seen. I had a closer (reading) experience on Orwell, because of my own reading. Well, and I had some ideas because of references made by other writers: Aristotle, Proust, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Dickinson, Kazantzakis, Sartre and Voltaire, Plato and Socrates, which means: I have to read them, giving special attention to Rowell, Rousseau, and Kazantzakis.
My biggest surprise was to discover the relation that all of them had with their concrete gardens, and how they are mentioned in some of their writing.
And
- My early tomato gardening in Puerto Obaldía
- My first composting in 1997 when I had my heart stroke, and the care I took of a bush, which dried a few weeks later, before becoming a small tree.
- Our gardening in Oxford, and,
- Our gardening now in La Costanza.
Now, after reading this book, I am associating my gardening experiences with the writers’ experiences. Now I can see:
- Growing as a flower bottom,
- Surviving close to Nature,
- Discovering the gardening after WWII
- Ying-Yang, Mireya’s weeding, learning simple techniques, understanding the garden as the national (Colombian) life.
We are slowly and nicely moving into our connection with “the big picture’.
“The Garden is, in other words, an invitation to philosophy”.9
“The very Proustian point is clear: from tiny things, grand memories and fantasies unfold”.37
“Woolf: one apple tree at a time”.68
“To <> was to make this world, right here and now, a little better”. 170
Let’s read:
http://www.thenietzschechannel.com/fi...
Read Young’s book “The Art of Reading”
“Growing” 2nd volume of L. Wood’s autobiography
“Rousseau’s Reveries”
“Odysseus”, from Kazantzakis
June 9, 2025
Son zamanlarda okuduğum keyifli kitaplardan biriydi. Pek çok yazarın bahçeyle ilişkisini ele alan Damon Young, yazarlardan çok ilginç alıntılar vermiş.
'Bahçe daima düzen ile karmaşa, yeşerme ile çürüme, bişinç ile bilinçsizlik, hareketsizlik ile canlılık arasındaki çatışmayı ortaya çıkarır'.
Kitapta, Sartre, Emily Dickenson, Kant, Virginia Woolf, Simone Beauvoir, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, Rousseau, Leonard Woolf, George Orwell, Kazancakis ve belki unuttuğum başka yazarların doğayla kurdukları ilişkinin nasıl eserlerine yandığı müthiş bir şekilde ele alınmış.
Burada ilginç bir hikayeyi paylaşacağım. Kazancakis, Kyoto'daki Ryöan-ji budist tapınağında bir karensansui yani bir taş bahçesine bakakalmış. Bu bahçeler, budist tapınaklarının vazgeçilmez yerleridir ve hiçliği sembolize etmesiyle ruh dünyasında çok garip hisler uyandırır. İşte Kazancakis de, bu asimetrik gösterişsiz ve pek de alışıldık olmayan bahçede kimbilir neler hisssetmişti. Ve bu bahçeye ilişkin şöyle yazmış ''Bahçede yürüyorm, ve belli belirsiz arzular yavaş yavaş çevremde aydınlanıyor, sert bir çekirdeğin etrafında kristalize oluyorlar''. Sonrasında ise, 'kalbimi bir bahçe şeklinde düzenleyecek olsam, onu taş bahçesine benzetirdim''. Zen budizminde taş bahçesi, duygusal zevklere hitap etmesi için değil, geçici gerçekliğin farkına varmak ve onun üzerine düşünmek için tasarlanmıştır, ve bu alan Kazancakis için ruhsal alıştırmalarının, belki meditasyonun bir alanıydı.
Sartre'ın doğayla olan ilişkisi ise, tam zıtlıklar şöleniymiş. Sevgilisi ve arkadaşı Beauvoir, Sartre'ı şöyle tanımlıyormuş... ''Kırlardan nefret eder, hareket halindeki böcek sürüleri, bitkilerin filizlenmesi onu tiksindirir desem yerdiri. Deniz kıyısına, çöllerin göz alabildiğine uzanan kumuna veya Alplerdek izirvelerin madeni soğukluğuna bir nebze katlanabilir... Ama kendi evinde hissettiği tek yer şehirlerdir... Gerçekten çok enterasan, Sartre'ın aksine Beauvoir ise, kaotik bahçeleri çekici bulmuştur.
Baheçelerle, toprakla, çiçeklerle, yetiştirmek ve büyütmekle kurduğumuz ilişki, aslında ne kadar da karakterimize hayatımıza dair bilgiler veriyor. Bunu eserlerini okuduğum yazarlar üzerinden farketmek ilginçti. Keyifle okunabilecek bir kitap, önerilir!
'Bahçe daima düzen ile karmaşa, yeşerme ile çürüme, bişinç ile bilinçsizlik, hareketsizlik ile canlılık arasındaki çatışmayı ortaya çıkarır'.
Kitapta, Sartre, Emily Dickenson, Kant, Virginia Woolf, Simone Beauvoir, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, Rousseau, Leonard Woolf, George Orwell, Kazancakis ve belki unuttuğum başka yazarların doğayla kurdukları ilişkinin nasıl eserlerine yandığı müthiş bir şekilde ele alınmış.
Burada ilginç bir hikayeyi paylaşacağım. Kazancakis, Kyoto'daki Ryöan-ji budist tapınağında bir karensansui yani bir taş bahçesine bakakalmış. Bu bahçeler, budist tapınaklarının vazgeçilmez yerleridir ve hiçliği sembolize etmesiyle ruh dünyasında çok garip hisler uyandırır. İşte Kazancakis de, bu asimetrik gösterişsiz ve pek de alışıldık olmayan bahçede kimbilir neler hisssetmişti. Ve bu bahçeye ilişkin şöyle yazmış ''Bahçede yürüyorm, ve belli belirsiz arzular yavaş yavaş çevremde aydınlanıyor, sert bir çekirdeğin etrafında kristalize oluyorlar''. Sonrasında ise, 'kalbimi bir bahçe şeklinde düzenleyecek olsam, onu taş bahçesine benzetirdim''. Zen budizminde taş bahçesi, duygusal zevklere hitap etmesi için değil, geçici gerçekliğin farkına varmak ve onun üzerine düşünmek için tasarlanmıştır, ve bu alan Kazancakis için ruhsal alıştırmalarının, belki meditasyonun bir alanıydı.
Sartre'ın doğayla olan ilişkisi ise, tam zıtlıklar şöleniymiş. Sevgilisi ve arkadaşı Beauvoir, Sartre'ı şöyle tanımlıyormuş... ''Kırlardan nefret eder, hareket halindeki böcek sürüleri, bitkilerin filizlenmesi onu tiksindirir desem yerdiri. Deniz kıyısına, çöllerin göz alabildiğine uzanan kumuna veya Alplerdek izirvelerin madeni soğukluğuna bir nebze katlanabilir... Ama kendi evinde hissettiği tek yer şehirlerdir... Gerçekten çok enterasan, Sartre'ın aksine Beauvoir ise, kaotik bahçeleri çekici bulmuştur.
Baheçelerle, toprakla, çiçeklerle, yetiştirmek ve büyütmekle kurduğumuz ilişki, aslında ne kadar da karakterimize hayatımıza dair bilgiler veriyor. Bunu eserlerini okuduğum yazarlar üzerinden farketmek ilginçti. Keyifle okunabilecek bir kitap, önerilir!
October 8, 2019
A look at how gardens informed some great thinkers and writers over the years. The garden is a symbol of the divine imprint, the blank slate, the toils of the soul, and a rustic interpretation of the intellect. Many great writers and philosophers were covered in this book, each with a short chapter explaining how a garden inspired and influenced their work. You do not need to be familiar with their works because the author concisely explains their philosophy in a biographical way. I myself wasn’t as familiar with some of the minds featured in this book but it did not detract from my understanding.
For some, the garden was a symbol of hope and inspiration inspiring thoughts and celebrating life. For others it represented the deeper study of metaphysics and the arduous journey of the spirit. Some philosophers were perturbed by the garden/nature- being a reflection of the immoral society and complicated truths of the time. The common seed scattered through all of these contemplations is that the garden was a symbol for the conjunction of human nature and nature herself. The garden, in her stillness and unapologetic state offered an introspective and meditative contemplation on life.
My own garden? She represents the resilient growth into something beautiful.
For some, the garden was a symbol of hope and inspiration inspiring thoughts and celebrating life. For others it represented the deeper study of metaphysics and the arduous journey of the spirit. Some philosophers were perturbed by the garden/nature- being a reflection of the immoral society and complicated truths of the time. The common seed scattered through all of these contemplations is that the garden was a symbol for the conjunction of human nature and nature herself. The garden, in her stillness and unapologetic state offered an introspective and meditative contemplation on life.
My own garden? She represents the resilient growth into something beautiful.
July 29, 2019
4.5*
Young details the inner lives of a number of influential authors such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Orwell, Colette and Dickinson, and their relationships with their gardens and nature. A garden philosophically represents the conjunction of humanity and nature, and in this book Young shows the ways that these authors understood themselves, their beliefs of how the world worked, and their place within it, through contemplation and reflection in their gardens. I have always found a symbiosis between my own writing and gardening -- a way to anchor my thoughts, to form some coherent order, and to cull distractions.
Young details the inner lives of a number of influential authors such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Orwell, Colette and Dickinson, and their relationships with their gardens and nature. A garden philosophically represents the conjunction of humanity and nature, and in this book Young shows the ways that these authors understood themselves, their beliefs of how the world worked, and their place within it, through contemplation and reflection in their gardens. I have always found a symbiosis between my own writing and gardening -- a way to anchor my thoughts, to form some coherent order, and to cull distractions.
October 15, 2021
A great book that combines two of my favourite things, nature and philosophy.
Damon Young has an easy writing style, making the book interesting, engaging and entertaining.
The focus here is on the particular piece of nature that was inspirational or therapeutic for individual writers over the centuries.
Highly recommended reading.
Damon Young has an easy writing style, making the book interesting, engaging and entertaining.
The focus here is on the particular piece of nature that was inspirational or therapeutic for individual writers over the centuries.
Highly recommended reading.
May 17, 2020
It was an engrossing and interesting read and I was happy to discover the relationship between various authors and their garden.
It is well written and I loved what I read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It is well written and I loved what I read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
November 22, 2021
Bu sene okuduğum dinlediğim kitaplar arasında kesinlikle ilk 3'e girer. Hem bahçe-doğa ve felsefe ilişkisi hem de bahsedilen yazar ve filozoflar hakkında çokça bilgi içeriyor. Bana bir tam sayfa okunacaklar listesi sağlayan bu kitabı tavsiye ederim :)
October 31, 2022
Kapakta sen olunca çok satan kitaplara ne diyorsun Nietzsche?
Ne anlattığı belirsiz, bu kadar övülmesine anlam veremediğim bir kitap... Yolda kendini iyice kaybetmiş bir konu. Ama kapağa Nietzsche koyduk mu, tamamdır.
Ne anlattığı belirsiz, bu kadar övülmesine anlam veremediğim bir kitap... Yolda kendini iyice kaybetmiş bir konu. Ama kapağa Nietzsche koyduk mu, tamamdır.
November 27, 2022
Eskiden beri felsefe yapanlar bahçeyi tercih etmiştir. Felsefe, halktan kopuk değildi. Pek çok felsefe adamının biyografileriyle ilişkilendirilmiş, sıkıcı olmayan anlatımıyla.
*"İnsan bitmek bilmeyen bir sorudur, yanıt değil."
*"İnsan bitmek bilmeyen bir sorudur, yanıt değil."
November 1, 2024
This was a sort-of enjoyable read. I found parts interesting enough, but reading it was more of a simple distraction from everyday life than it was anything profound.
I don't want to sound harsh. It was fine, to me, just not anything great.
I don't want to sound harsh. It was fine, to me, just not anything great.
August 17, 2019
Niet wereldschokkend
October 2, 2022
Good excerpts and recommendations for further reading.
May 8, 2024
Enjoyable little read about some of the greats with a little about their associations with gardens.
July 25, 2025
Gardens are the only form of curated nature we still consider ‘nature’. 10/10
November 15, 2025
An engaging read that I took my time over and made sure I read when sitting outside.
December 16, 2025
Two of my favourite things.
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