Of all the books I read over the holidays, it is Frédéric Gros's A philosophy of walking that has made the most impression. This is a book about, well, walking – different kinds of walking, different reasons to walk, and a range of well-known folk who walked – and walked, for example, Nietzsche, Kant, Thoreau, Nerval, Wordsworth and Gandhi. Gros might have added AE Housman who, like Wordsworth, composed poems during his walks, although he often had a pint (or two) of beer beforehand to aid the poetic process – Housman, that is.
There are chapters on Outside, Slowness, Solitudes, Silences, Eternities, Energy, Pilgrimage, Well-being, Strolls, Gardens, Gravity, and Repetition. Gros is a French philosopher who works at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, but don't let that put you off as it's all rather inspiring – and beautifully written and translated. If my life were ever to fall apart, I think I should just walk.
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