فن الشيخوخة

by John Cowper Powys, أحمد الزناتي (ترجمة)

Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar. His mother was descended from the poet William Cowper, hence his middle name. His two younger brothers, Llewelyn Powys and Theodore Francis Powys, also became well-known writers. Other brothers and sisters also became prominent in the arts.

John studied at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and became a teacher and lecturer; as lecturer, he worked first in England, then in continental Europe and finally in the USA, where he lived in the years 1904-1934. While in the United States, his work was championed by author Theodore Dreiser. He engaged in public debate with Bertrand Russell and the philosopher and historian Will Durant: he was called for the defence in the first obscenity trial for the James Joyce novel, Ulysses, and was mentioned with approval in the autobiography of US feminist and anarchist, Emma Goldman.

He made his name as a poet and essayist, moving on to produce a series of acclaimed novels distinguished by their uniquely detailed and intensely sensual recreation of time, place and character. They also describe heightened states of awareness resulting from mystic revelation, or from the experience of extreme pleasure or pain. The best known of these distinctive novels are A Glastonbury Romance and Wolf Solent. He also wrote some works of philosophy and literary criticism, including a pioneering tribute to Dorothy Richardson.

Having returned to the UK, he lived in England for a brief time, then moved to Corwen in Wales, where he wrote historical romances (including two set in Wales) and magical fantasies. He later moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he remained until his death in 1963.

Reviews

[Odai Al-Saeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

مالم نقدر على مجاراته في حيواتنا من تدفق ثقافي يختلف من جيل إلى جيل … من منا اتفق في غير جيله على مجاراة مع من بعد جيله … البعض يقسره انانية الأجيال والآخر يتفق على أن لا نتفق … من اعظم ما قرأت عن اختلاف التوافق مع الأجيال المتتابعة

[Richard S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dramatic change of tone that appears in Mortal Strife continues in The Art of Growing Old, a decent book, although plagued by forays into differences between men and women which while not misogynistic are just bizarre. In the past, JCP’s non-fiction was very energetic and convinced, now it is lighter, syntactically more nuanced. One sees Porius his last great fiction work in this book. Some of his old themes are there from his earlier non-fiction but he seems suddenly much older and more confused.

I suspect WW II changed him, as, like in Mortal Strife, he seems to have trouble coming to grips with it except in the strangest terms. However there is a lot of his original and deep psychological insight and moments of brilliance which make the book quite enjoyable at times. However the book feels and reads old and dead, without the animation of his earlier non-fiction.

Mildly recommended for anyone over 60, especially if you are at the point where nothing surprises or offends you. For the younger, not advised unless you want to know all the fun that waits for you. Not particularly recommended for Powysians, I don’t think it adds much of anything to understanding JCP as a person or author.

[Asmaalfahad · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يحوي أربع مقالات مطولة
الأولى : الشيخوخة والتعامل مع الآخرين
الثاني: الشيخوخة والأدب
الثالث: السعادة .. عن جذور المسألة
الرابع: فن السعادة بين الرجل والمرأة

مقالات تستحق التأمل والوقوف عند بعض أفكارها !