A Terrible Love of War - by James Hillman (Paperback)

About the Book

World-renowned psychologist Hillman, bestselling author of "The Soul's Code," offers a profound examination of the roots of humanity's unavoidable obsession with war.

Book Synopsis

War is a timeless force in the human imagination--and, indeed, in daily life. Engaged in the activity of destruction, its soldiers and its victims discover a paradoxical yet profound sense of existing, of being human. In A Terrible Love of War, James Hillman, one of today's most respected psychologists, undertakes a groundbreaking examination of the essence of war, its psychological origins and inhuman behaviors. Utilizing reports from many fronts and times, letters from combatants, analyses by military authorities, classic myths, and writings from great thinkers, including Twain, Tolstoy, Kant, Arendt, Foucault, and Levinas, Hillman's broad sweep and detailed research bring a fundamentally new understanding to humanity's simultaneous attraction and aversion to war. This is a compelling, necessary book in a violent world.

Review Quotes

"Important reading for our time, as we try to make sense of our terrors." --San Francisco Chronicle

"[Hillman's] portrayal of war as an implacable force, a primary element of the human condition, is unsettling." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

A world-renowned lecturer, teacher, author, Jungian analyst, and former director of the C. G. Jung Institute, James Hillman (1926-2011) was born in New Jersey and spent much of his life in Europe. He is the author of more than twenty books, translated into ten languages, including The Myth of Analysis and Reinventing Psychiatry, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1975.