Synopses & Reviews
What is silence?
Where can it be found?
Why is it now more important than ever?
In this astonishing and transformative meditation, Erling Kagge, famed Norwegian explorer and the first person to reach the South Pole alone, explores the silence around us, the silence within us, and the silence we must create. By recounting his own experiences and discussing the observations of poets, artists, and explorers, Kagge shows us why silence is essential to our sanity and happiness — and how it can open doors to wonder and gratitude.
Review
“The book both contemplates the various forms of silence around and within us, and offers solutions for finding such silence amidst endless interruptions and opportunities for distraction….With a sense of awe, Kagge wanders rather than narrates, moving intuitively between philosophy, science, and personal experience….It’s always good to be reminded of ancient truths. And with Silence, Kagge provides a much-needed reminder.” Los Angeles Review of Books
Review
“A simply extraordinary book anyone with a smart-phone or a social media account would do well to read — and heed.” Trail Magazine
Review
“An extraordinarily calming book...just the tonic when things get hectic.” The Irish Times
Review
“A series of lyrical vignettes....Kagge is clearly qualified to write about the soul-reviving benefits of quiet.” O, The Oprah Magazine
Review
“Kagge...writes in a chatty, accessible style and with a healthy dose of humor.... Silence... offers thoughtful meditations.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
“As much an object as book, something to be handled and savored…. I too remember crunching over ice at the South Pole — though I had not walked there like the author — and thinking about the ethereal quality of silence that the owned world cannot give (no country owns the Antarctic). Erling Kagge captures that wonder on the page.” Wall Street Journal
About the Author
Explorer, lawyer, art collector, publisher, and author, ERLING KAGGE is the first person to have completed the Three Poles Challenge on foot — the North Pole, the South Pole, and the summit of Mount Everest. He has written six previous books on exploration, philosophy, and art collecting, and runs Kagge Forlag, a publishing company based in Oslo, where he lives.