The Art of Worldly Wisdom

by Balthasar Gracian, Joseph Jacobs (Translator)

Overview

The remarkable best-seller -- a long-lost, 300-year-old book of wisdom on how to live successfully yet responsibly in a society governed by self-interest -- as acute as Machiavelli yet as humanistic and scrupulously moral as Marcus Aurelius.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420940114
Publisher:	Digireads.com Publishing
Publication date:	05/19/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Baltasar Gracián was an aphorist, imaginary biographer, and novelist, who published studies of ideal figures and handbooks on the arts of rhetoric and comportment. His books include The Hero, Shrewdness and the Art of the Artist, The Art of Worldly Wisdom, and The Master Critic. Many high officials felt attacked by the controversial and critical works of this Jesuit priest-professor. Gracián refused to be censored, and was eventually confined to solitary house arrest, where he died.

Editorial Reviews

Maurer retranslates a 17th-century Jesuit's aphorisms and reflections on the morality of success. This long-admired work sounds surprisingly relevant today. It also combines brevity and grace of expression with wise advice, which should appeal to those seeking ``how-to'' spirituality which is universal, practical, and applicable in business. Recommended for public libraries.

Library Journal