The Outsider

By Colin Wilson,

Book cover of The Outsider

Book description

The classic study of alienation, creativity and the modern mind
'Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation' GUARDIAN

THE OUTSIDER was an instant literary sensation when it was first published in 1956, thrusting its youthful author into the front rank of contemporary writers and thinkers. Wilson rationalised the psychological dislocation…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Outsider as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I discovered Wilson’s seminal book when I was in college.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that The Outsider changed my life. Before I read it I had no idea who I was or where I belonged. I was not a joiner. I wasn’t affected by peer pressure. As a consequence I felt alone and at sea.

At once, I recognized myself in The Outsider.

Wilson could have been writing about me. Suddenly, I understood who I was, why I reacted to certain things the way I did, and what my place in the world was and would…

This book was life-changing for me. During my teenage years, I felt depressed and alienated. I read The Outsider just after my 20th birthday, and it changed my view of myself and gave me a new sense of my path in life. Outsiders are people who can’t accept the materialist values of ordinary society. They feel an urge to live more fully, to grow, to expand their consciousness. They may simply be frustrated social outcasts. However, some Outsiders express themselves creatively or find paths of self-transformation. They may become mystics, developing inner harmony and a heightened vision of reality.…

From Steve's list on spiritual psychology.

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