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The Half Known Life

Finding Paradise in a Divided World

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The Half Known Life

By: Pico Iyer
Narrated by: Pico Iyer
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Bloomsbury presents The Half Known Life written and read by Pico Iyer.

'Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soul ... A masterpiece' Elizabeth Gilbert
'A work of spiritual evolution [and] inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors' Washington Post
One of our most perceptive travel writers embarks on an exploration of the world's holiest places and where we might find paradise on Earth.

It’s so easy, I thought, to place Paradise in the past or the future – anywhere but here.

After half a century of travel, Pico Iyer asks himself what kind of paradise can ever be found in a world of unceasing conflict. In a spectacular journey, both inward and outward, he roams the globe from Jerusalem to Belfast to North Korea, from crowded mosques in Iran to a holy mountain in Japan. By the end, he has upended any of our expectations and dared to suggest that we can find paradise right in the heart of our angry and confused world.(P)2023 Penguin Random House LLC Asia Australia & Oceania Middle East Oceania South Asian Creators Travel Writing & Commentary Iran China
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Critic reviews

A luminous and absorbing book, and one that is good to think with (Caroline Eden)
Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soul. Filled with hope, wisdom, and extraordinary tenderness, this is a book not only for the ages, but for our very specific, very troubled age. A masterpiece. (Elizabeth Gilbert)
In elegant and ecstatic prose, Pico Iyer uncovers our wonderful capacity for hope, wearing his erudition so lightly. I was revitalised by this book (Katherine May)
Iyer shares Graham Greene’s gift for the enthralling sentence, and can be a charming and perceptive companion . . . He reminds us that the key to good travel writing lies in the discrepancy between what you expect of a country and what you get. And at an even more primal level, he makes you want to go to the countries themselves (Hugh Thomson)
To step into The Half Known Life feels both a privilege and a necessity . . . Iyer is more than a guide or a compatriot in an unfamiliar land: in the inward journey to lucidity he is a companion of our own searching minds (Yiyun Li)
I defy anyone to read this profound travelogue and not immediately start reading it again. If there is a "paradise of words", this is it (John Keay)
A wise, immaculately written achievement that could only be contemplated after a lifetime of travel and reading and pondering. Reading The Half Known Life is to yield to the most invigorating and thought-provoking meditation. (Nicholas Shakespeare)
Thoughtful . . . Iyer comes across as that finest of all personality types, the pragmatic idealist ... There’s a lovely patience in evidence here; he is calm, reasonable and curious (Darragh McManus)
Iyer has done the impossible with this book . . . This is a singular offering of magnetic story, deep thinking, truth telling and spiritual refreshment for our tumultuous young century (Krista Tippett)
I really really enjoyed the book (Frank Cottrell Boyce)
Even as Iyer takes you around the world, he remains a most faithful companion to the spirit of that ultimate journey into uncharted territories—our inner selves . . . The Half Known Life is a vigorous quest for the paradise within
Iyer's chronicle, which begins with an appreciation of the sophistication, beauty and culture of Iran, becomes a requiem for a world — and an existence — estranged from itself . . . His book has the ring of a classic Buddhist meditation strategy
Thought-provoking . . . Iyer has an acutely observant eye for the telling detail and a delicious turn of phrase (Richard Hopton)
Reading Mr Iyer’s book in the depth of winter, in a troubled world, it’s heartening to think that paradise—or at least a glimpse of it—might be available from where we sit
A masterful merging of Iyer’s past and current concerns, a book of inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors
All stars
Most relevant
I greatly enjoyed the journey that the author took me on. If you are intrigued by thoughts and ideas more than events and action this might be a perfect listen for you.

A pleasant walk through someone else’s thoughts

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this is the most beautiful book I have ever listened to. The imagery contoured up both by the words and by the voice of the author brings you into the places he is visiting. I truly adored this and have learnt so much about myself and the world we live in. thank you Pico x

beautiful

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For many it might be over long. I have been to many of the places Pico Iyer describes so for me, listening was a time of quiet reflection. The descriptions are apt and real. A wonderful journey of reflection.

The Half known Life

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Extraordinary narrative beautifully paced reading. Haunting and captivating observations all of which entreat a rehearing,

A book of wanders and wonders!

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