Latest news with #PicoIyer
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Book of the day: Learning from the silence by Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer: Phoenix from the flames. Photos / Derek Shapton The actual title of Pico Iyer's thoughtful, compelling new book is Aflame: Learning from Silence. The flame has disappeared from our edition (the British) of the title: strange, when fire – physical and inner – is crucial to Iyer's life and quests, and this book in particular. The new subtitle
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: Pico Iyer's essay ‘The Joy of Quiet'
Pico Iyer's essay 'The Joy of Quiet' dissects modern life's paradox: the louder our world grows, the more we crave silence. The essay was first published in 2012 in The New York Times. With the precision of a cultural surgeon, Iyer — a travel writer famed for his meditative prose — exposes how digital noise erodes human connection, leaving us drowning in a sea of notifications yet thirsting for meaning. But this isn't a diatribe against technology; it's a forensic examination of our collective burnout. He maps a silent counterrevolution emerging in the unlikeliest corners: Silicon Valley CEOs fleeing to Himalayan monasteries, Amish-inspired 'digital sabbaths' trending among younger generations, executives paying to lock away their phones and nations like Bhutan trading gross domestic product for 'Gross National Happiness' as radical acts of cultural defiance. Iyer's genius lies in reframing silence as an insurgent act of self-preservation. A Kyoto temple's rock garden becomes a 'vacuum of stillness' where fractured minds heal; a tech mogul's secret retreats — funded by the same wealth that built addictive apps — mock his own industry's promises of liberation. The essay's sharpest insight? Our devices aren't just distractions but 'weapons of mass distraction,' systematically severing us from presence, empathy and the sacred monotony of undivided attention. Critics might argue Iyer romanticizes privilege (not everyone can jet to a Balinese silent retreat), yet his message transcends class: in an age of algorithmic overload, solitude becomes not a luxury but psychic armor. He anticipates today's 'attention economy' battleground, where mindfulness apps monetize the very serenity they promise to provide. His closing warning: 'We've gone from exalting timesaving devices to fleeing them,' feels prophetic in 2025, as AI chatbots colonize conversation and virtual reality headsets replace eye contact. Less self-flagellating than Orwell's colonial reckonings, 'The Joy of Quiet' offers no easy answers. Instead, it dares readers to ask: When every ping demands obedience, what revolution begins with a silenced phone? What if reclaiming our humanity starts not with consuming more but with the radical courage to disappear?
Los Angeles Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Announces Winners of 45th Annual Book Prizes
The Los Angeles Times tonight announced the winners of the 45th annual Book Prizes in a ceremony at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The Times' Book Prizes recognize outstanding literary achievements and celebrate the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers. Winners were announced in 13 categories for works published last year. Additionally, award-winning author Pico Iyer was honored with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, and Amanda Gorman received the Innovator's Award for her work promoting literacy, empowering youth and raising awareness on important issues. A complete list of this year's Book Prizes winners follows. 2024 Book Prizes Winners For more information about the Book Prizes, including the complete list of 2024 finalists and past winners, and eligibility and judging information, go to The Book Prizes ceremony is a prologue to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the nation's largest literary festival, which will bring together more than 650 writers, experts and storytellers, hundreds of exhibitors and an estimated 155,000 attendees. The 30th annual Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok profiles (#bookfest).
Los Angeles Times
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes to Honor Pico Iyer and Amanda Gorman
The Los Angeles Times today announced the finalists and honorees for its 45th annual Book Prizes. Pico Iyer will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement and Amanda Gorman will be honored with the Innovator's Award. Additionally, Emily Witt will be presented with the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. The Book Prizes recognize 61 exceptional works in 13 categories celebrating the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Friday, April 25 at USC's Bovard Auditorium, on the eve of the 30th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which will take place the weekend of April 26-27. Award-winning writer Pico Iyer is this year's honoree for the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which recognizes a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. Iyer is the author of more than a dozen books on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism. His recent memoir, 'Aflame: Learning from Silence,' explores the power of calm as Iyer recalls his retreats at a monastery in Big Sur, Calif., where he sought solace from changes and struggles in life, including when a family home in Santa Barbara burned down. 'Pico Iyer is a treasure,' said Times Associate Director of Events and Book Prizes Administrator Ann Binney. 'While he travels the world, he always finds his way back to California. I have known Pico for many years and it is such an honor to recognize him with the Robert Kirsch award. His beautiful words sharing his own experience of loss and recovery offer us welcome comfort, especially during this time as we recover from our recent devastating wildfires.' Some of Iyer's acclaimed work includes 'The Half Known Life,' 'Video Night in Kathmandu,' 'The Lady and the Monk,' 'The Global Soul,' 'The Open Road' and 'The Art of Stillness.' He contributes regularly to countless publications, has received numerous accolades throughout his career and has given multiple TED talks that have together drawn more than 11 million viewers. The Innovator's Award, which spotlights efforts to bring books, publishing and storytelling into the future, will be presented to Amanda Gorman. An award-winning writer and activist, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman has used her platform to raise awareness on a host of issues from climate change and social justice to literacy. She speaks out against book bans and highlights the importance of representation and education, among other causes. Gorman is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization that promotes literacy through free creative writing programs for underserved youth. Her latest title, 'Girls on the Rise,' is a picture book celebrating the power of girls, with illustrations by Loveis Wise. The poem highlights how girls have shaped history and why they should march boldly into the future. 'Amanda Gorman is an eloquent voice for the next generation. Her skillful use of poetry to motivate, inspire and enact social change is incredibly powerful,' said Times Executive Editor Terry Tang. 'We are thrilled to be honoring Gorman with this year's Innovator's Award and to shine a light on the work she has done – and continues to do – in promoting literacy to empower the youth to get involved.' Journalist Emily Witt is the winner of the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for 'Health and Safety: A Breakdown,' which chronicles her experience with psychedelics and Brooklyn's underground party scene during the first Trump presidency. The memoir offers Witt's life as a lens into America from 2016 to 2020. Sponsored by the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the award honors exceptional work and encompasses fiction, travel writing, memoir and diary. 'Emily Witt exposes a country in the throes of ongoing trauma in a coming-of-age memoir — keenly observed, unapologetically told — that feels scarily emblematic of our life and times,' commented the judges of the Isherwood Prize. The Book Prizes recognize titles in the following categories: audiobooks (presented by Audible), autobiographical prose (the Christopher Isherwood Prize), biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award), graphic novel/comics, history, mystery/thriller, poetry, science fiction, science and technology, and young adult literature. Judging panels of writers who specialize in each genre select finalists and winners. For more information about the Book Prizes, including the complete list of 2024 finalists and past winners; eligibility and judging information; and how to make a tax-deductible donation in support of the annual literary awards, go to Tickets to attend the Book Prizes ceremony, as well as Festival of Books VIP packages, are on sale now. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles (#bookfest).
