How to be Wise opens with an unexpectedly entertaining survey of the philosophical and religious roots of wisdom. The author then considers how literature can enable us to discover more about ourselves; he probes the spiritual dimension of music, and the significance of silence.
When her partner disappears, a young woman drifts towards Open Door, a small town in the Argentinean Pampas named after its psychiatric hospital. She finds herself living with an ageing ranch-hand, although a local girl also proves irresistible. This evocative book makes a quiet case for the possibility of finding contentment in unexpected places.