English world rights (Upper Westside Philosophers), Russia (Directmedia), Portuguese rights (Penguin Random House/Objectiva), France (Piranha), Netherlands (De Bezige Bij), Denmark (Informations Forlag), Danish audio book rights (Lindhardt & Ringhof), Sweden (Lind & Co.), Norway (Gyldendal Norsk), Finland (Aula & Co.), Korea (Chaek Se Sang), Japan (Mikasa Shobo), Poland (W.A.B.), Czech Republic (Euromedia), Serbia (Laguna), Latvia (Zvaigzne), Turkey (Iletisim), Ukraine (Knihy XXI), India (Malayalam, Sahitya Pravarthaka), Israel (Modan)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Kairos), Catalan rights (Angle), Chinese complex rights (Emily Publishing Co.), Italy (Fazi), Slovenia (Narava)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (DAV), German Book Club (Club Bertelsmann)
More than 600,000 copies sold!
January 2017: On the Spiegel Bestseller list for 148 consecutive weeks (#1 from June to September 2014)
On growing old in an age when everyone wants to be »forever young«
The Art of Ageing
With suggestions for how to find equanimity and meaning late in life
Bestselling author Wilhelm Schmid (Happiness) doesn’t want to praise or disparage growing older, but rather to develop a pragmatic art of dealing with it: on the one hand learning to pay attention to the joys that can accompany growing older, and on the other hand learning to cope with the pain that is unavoidable.
No amount of mental preparation for ageing can prepare you for what it really feels like to suddenly realise that you’re old. Stock phrases designed to minimise the impact are of limited help: »You’re only as old as you feel!« Sure, of course, but generally you’re older. The feeling doesn’t change the fact, on the contrary: it is merely an invitation to self-deception. Not all forms of deception are bad, but in this case the disappointment will only be greater once it becomes clear that such perky phrases are powerless in the face of reality. What would happen if we simply accepted growing older rather than fighting it?»Schmid’s counsel is wise and he does not avoid the difficult topics, particularly admirable when conversations around aging and death often remain taboo.« Publishers Weekly
»Schmid is like an oasis of quiet at an airport.« Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
»A captivating breviary that makes you stop and think - not just for the elderly.« Urs Rauber, Neue Zürcher Zeitung am Sonntag
» … (Schmid) writes clearly and unambiguously, without ever seeming banal or repeatedly stating the obvious. Here, philosophy reclaims some original meaning ...« Thomas Gross, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
»In the hectic market of consolation offers, this short work offers a pleasant moment of disarmament and invites us to reflect.« Denis Scheck, Der Tagesspiegel
»...open and honest, sometimes relentless.« Heinrich Lindenmayr, Augsburger Allgemeine Online
»The author is wise, he does not go into the usual cases of life counseling. This is in part due to his discipline, a philosophy that is less obliging to the standard discourses about aging and the young.« Franz Schuh, Die Zeit
»Schmid's book is ... an unobtrusive invitation to pause, which even younger readers can accept without embarrassment.« Arno Orzessek, rbb kulturradio
»Schmid’s counsel is wise and he does not avoid the difficult topics, particularly admirable when conversations around aging and death often remain taboo.« Publishers Weekly
»Schmid is like an oasis of quiet at an airport.« Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
»A captivating breviary that makes you stop and think - not just for the elderly.« Urs Rauber, Neue Zürcher Zeitung am...
Wilhelm Schmid was born in 1953 and lives in Berlin. For many years, he taught philosophy at the University of Erfurt, was a visiting porfessor in Riga, Latvia, and Tbilisi, Georgia, and worked as a »philosophical counsellor« at a hospital near Zurich, Switzerland. He is a popular guest speaker and has been giving lectures in China and South Korea since 2010. He was awarded the Meckatzer Prize for Philosophy in 2012 and the Egnér Prize in 2013. His works have been translated into 25 languages, and his bestselling book Gelassenheit has sold over 600,000 copies.
Wilhelm Schmid was born in 1953 and lives in Berlin. For many years, he taught philosophy at the University of Erfurt, was a...
Joie de vivre is an art that can be learned. Talent is helpful, but practice is crucial. This also includes practising restraint. So that we can draw breath more easily for new upswings...
Korea (Fika Book), Turkey (Iletisim)
More and more, people are on the search for a place to call home in a world that seems uncertain and within a life that changes faster than it can be understood. More than ever even those who normally have a comfortable home find themselves faced with the lack thereof. Home becomes a fleeting commodity in an era in which people and things are becoming global.
People themselves...
We see, we hear, we smell, we taste. But what about the sense of touch? Yes, touch can be quite nice. It offers stimulation, encouragement, reassurance, connection with others. It strengthens the...
Turkey (Iletisim)
In his new book, Wilhelm Schmid builds on the reflections of his bestseller What We Gain As We Grow Older and leads the way to genuine self-acceptance: The basis for equanimity is...
France (Piranha), Turkey (Iletisim)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (DAV)
Giving gifts is not as easy as it looks. People often ask themselves: What shall I give to whom and why? A few thoughts on the subject guarantee that giving can make both parties happy. The...
Turkey (Iletisim)
Wilhelm Schmid, best-selling author of Happiness and What We Gain As We Grow Older, was given the opportunity to apply his ideas on founding a philosophical art of living over the course of ten years at a hospital near Zurich, where he discussed the following questions with the patients: What meaning do touches, habits, longings, beauty have? What is happiness? Does one’s own...
Wilhelm Schmid, best-selling author of Happiness and What We Gain As We Grow Older, shows how much life with children can contribute to a meaningful existence. Furthermore, he offers suggestions as to how the children’s resilience, their ability to be self-assertive, can be nurtured.
On the Joy of Being a Parent and Grandparent consists...
Netherlands (De Bezige Bij), Turkey (Iletisim)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Italy (Fazi)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (DAV)
English world rights (Upper West Side Philosophers), Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos), Turkey (Iletisim)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (Komplett Media)
Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos), Denmark (Informations Forlag), Danish Audiobook Rights (Lindhardt & Ringhof), Latvia (Zvaigzne), Turkey (Iletisim)
Chinese simplex rights (Shanghai Translation Publishing House), Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos)
Chinese simplex rights (Shanghai Translation Publishing), France (Autrement), Danish Audiobook Rights (Lindhardt & Ringhof), Sweden (Lind & Co.)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Spanish world rights (Pre-Textos), Italy (Fazi), Netherlands (Ambo|Anthos), Denmark (Informations Forlag), Finland (Ajatus), Korea (Bookstory), Estonia (Olion), Latvia (Zvaigzne ABC), Serbia (Laguna)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (Lindhardt & Ringhof / Saga Egmont)
Italy (Apogeo), Netherlands (Ambo|Anthos), Korea (Chaek Se Sang), Latvia (Zvaigzne), Georgia (Akolasia)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Serbia (Svetovi)
Italy (Fazi), Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos), Latvia (Zvaigzne Abc)
Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (Lindhardt & Ringhof / Saga Egmont)Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Italy (Fazi), Netherlands (Ambo|Anthos)
Spanish world rights (Pre-Textos), Italy (Fazi), Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos)