How to Be Idle

HowtobeIdleisTomHodgkinson'sentertainingguidetoreclaimingyourrighttobeidle.AsOscarWildesaid,doingnothingishardwork.TheProtestantworkethichasmostofusinitsthrall,andtheidlersofthisworldhavetheoddsstackedagainstthem.Buthere,atlast,isabookthatcanhelp.FromTomHodgkinson,editoroftheIdler,comesHowtobeIdle,anantidotetothework-obsessedculturewhichputssomanyobstaclesbetweenourselvesandourdreams.Hodgkinsonpresentsuswithalaid-backargumentforanewcontractbetweenroutineandchaos,anargumentforexperiencinglifetothefullandlivinginthemoment.Rangingacrossahostofissuesthatmayaffectthemodernidler-sleep,theworldofwork,pleasureandhedonism,relationships,bohemianliving,revolution-hedrawsonthewritingsofsuchwell-knownapologistsforidlenessasDrJohnson,OscarWilde,RobertLouisStevensonandNietzsche.Hismessageisclear:takecontrolofyourlifeandreclaimyourrighttobeidle.'Wellwritten,funnyandwithascholarlyknowledgeoftheliteratureoflaziness,itisbothabooktobeenjoyedatleisureandtochangelives'SundayTimes'Inhislifeandinthisbooktheauthoris100percentonthesideoftheangels'LiteraryReview'ThebookissostuffedwithwisdomandsostuffedwithgoodjokesthatIracedthroughitlikeaspeedfreak'IndependentonSundayTomHodgkinsonisthefounderandeditorofTheIdlerandtheauthorofHowtobeIdle,HowtobeFree,TheIdleParentandBraveOldWorld.Inspring2011hefoundedTheIdlerAcademyinLondon,abookshop,coffeehouseandculturalcentrewhichhostsliteraryeventsandofferscoursesinacademicandpracticalsubjects-fromLatintoembroidery.Itsmottois'LibertythroughEducation'.Findoutmoreatwww.idler.co.uk.