You Don’t Have to Be Buddhist to Know Nothing: An Illustrious Collection of Thoughts on Naught

Whether a subject of dread or of fascination, nothing (often spelled with a capital ‘N’) has intrigued writers, philosophers, and scientists since ancient times. In this sound-bite history of the concept of nothing, distinguished journalist Joan Konner has created a unique anthology devoted to, well …nothing. The collection brings together, in one portable volume, the thoughts of well-known writers and philosophers, artists and musicians, poets and playwrights, geniuses and jokers, demonstrating that some of the finest minds explored, feared, confronted, experienced, and played with the real or imagined presence of nothing in their lives. Paradoxical? Yes, indeed. This book shows that, like many Eastern sages, deep thinkers in the West also recognised and pondered non-existence as an essential component and complement of existence itself. Organised in short topical chapters from ‘Knowing Nothing’ to the ‘Joy of Unknowing’ and ‘Nothing is Sacred’, the verbal snapshots captured in this collection create a coherent work of insight, wisdom, humour and wonder. The book is compelling enough to be read all at once or in short bursts, as the spirit moves.