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Sign up todayThe Denial of Death
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Learn moreWinner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life’s work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker’s brilliant and impassioned answer to the “why” of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie: man’s refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. In doing so, he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates half a century after its publication.
The Denial of Death was the last book Dr. Becker published before his own premature death in 1974. His insightful and powerful ideas are sure to last for generations.
Dr. Ernest Becker (1924–1974) received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Syracuse University. He taught at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State College, and Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is survived by his wife, Marie, and a foundation that bears his name, The Ernest Becker Foundation.
Raymond Todd is an actor and director in the theater as well as a poet and documentary filmmaker. He plays jazz trombone for the Leatherstocking quartet, an ensemble that gets its name from one of his favorite Blackstone narrations, The Deerslayer. Todd lives in New York.
Reviews
“A brave work of electrifying intelligence and passion, optimistic and revolutionary, destined to endure.”
“The Denial of Death is a great book—one of the few great books of the twentieth or any other century.”
“It is hard to overestimate the importance of this book; Becker succeeds brilliantly in what he sets out to do, and the effort was necessary.”
“A magnificent psycho-philosophical synthesis which ranks among the truly important books of the year. Professor Becker writes with power and brilliant insight.”
“There are no sound effects, nor is there any crackle of dialogue, but I listened five times. Never strident or hectoring, Raymond Todd has a voice you can enjoy, even when you don’t yet quite understand.”
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