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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained Russell McNeil, PhD Editor, Malaspina Great Books In 1862 the English literary critic and poet Matthew Arnold described Marcus Aurelius as "the most beautiful figure in history." The Stoicism of Aurelius is grounded in rationality and rests solidly on an ethical approach rooted in nature. Stoicism promises real happiness and joy in this life and a serenity that can never be soured by personal misfortune. This philosophy has universal appeal with practical implications on problems ranging from climate change and terrorism to the personal management of sickness, aging, depression and addiction. I truly believe that the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius has much to offer us now...(Click on book cover for more)

Category:	Modern Literature
Name:	Anna Kavan
Birth Year:	1901
Death Year:	1968
Representative Image:
Biography, Lectures, and Research Links:	Biography Blog Anna Kavan SEARCH NOW: by title by author Anna Kavan was born "Helen Woods" in Cannes, France on April 10, 1901 to wealthy expatriot British parents. Anna spent her childhood in several European countries, California and England. She completed her education in England. She married (Donald Ferguson) and for a time lived in Burma. This marriage failed but it was during this period that she began writing. She remarried (to Stuart Edmonds although no record of the marriage exists) and spent some time in various parts of Europe before settling in England. Several of her books were published (Helen chose to use the name of her detested first husband, 'Ferguson', for her early novels). At first she wrote traditional novels, but later achieved a unique and sophisticated style. She became a heroin addict around 1926. Her addiction has been described as being, rather than recreational, her attempt at self-medication for her clinical depression, a condition barely acknowledged by the medical community at the time. Her intermittent mental illness, and the change of style in her work coincided with the premeditated change in her appearance and life-style after a breakdown. It was also at that time that she adopted the name of Anna Kavan, taken from a character in her novel Let Me Alone with whom she identified. She went through detoxification many times before her death, but always returned to what she called her "bazooka". She continued to write, even during periods of mental illness/depression which she spent in clinics in Switzerland and in England. Her experiences there provided material for Asylum Piece. Her life was also haunted by a remote, selfish and glamorous mother, on whom she based several of the mothers in her books. A dedicated writer, she was also a talented painter and interior decorator, and had acclaimed gallery exhibits in London. She was a difficult personality all her life, but towards the end was even more anti-social and reclusive. She had a small collection of friends whose devotion overlooked her problems and eccentricities. Ironically, after a life of suicide attempts and heroin addiction, she died of natural causes in London on December 5, 1968. [Adapted from Jan Hanford] The Great Books: Anna Kavan This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of a Great Books Core List developed by Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Anna Kavan. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Anna Kavan. Post Comments, Questions or Suggestions! This database is maintained by Malaspina Great Books © 1995-2004.
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Records from Related Period and Category:	Modern Literature

About this Database:

This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of the always controversial Great Books Core List published in 1940 by the late Great Books Pioneer Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Most of the works on that list are available in the 60 volume Great Books of the Western World.