The Longing for Less

Living with Minimalism

By: Kyle Chayka

Narrated by: Christopher Ragland

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents The Longing for Less by Kyle Chayka, read by Christopher Ragland.

New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

"More than just a story of an abiding cultural preoccupation, The Longing For Less peels back the commodified husk of minimalism to reveal something surprising and thoroughly alive." —Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing

“Less is more”: Everywhere we hear the mantra. Marie Kondo and other decluttering gurus promise that shedding our stuff will solve our problems. We commit to cleanse diets and strive for inbox zero. Amid the frantic pace and distraction of everyday life, we covet silence—and airy, Instagrammable spaces in which to enjoy it. The popular term for this brand of upscale austerity, “minimalism,” has mostly come to stand for things to buy and consume. But minimalism has richer, deeper, and altogether more valuable gifts to offer.

Kyle Chayka is one of our sharpest cultural observers. After spending years covering minimalist trends for leading publications, he now delves beneath this lifestyle’s glossy surface, seeking better ways to claim the time and space we crave. He shows that our longing for less goes back further than we realize. His search leads him to the philosophical and spiritual origins of minimalism, and to the stories of artists such as Agnes Martin and Donald Judd; composers such as John Cage and Julius Eastman; architects and designers; visionaries and misfits. As Chayka looks anew at their extraordinary lives and explores the places where they worked—from Manhattan lofts to the Texas high desert and the back alleys of Kyoto—he reminds us that what we most require is presence, not absence. The result is an elegant new synthesis of our minimalist desires and our profound emotional needs.

©2020 Kyle Chayka (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

An enlightening and provocative perspective.

Chayka gives a thorough analysis on minimalism in its many forms. He takes us on a delightfully nostalgic journey around the world and through time to make his point.

Interesting take on Minimalism

It seems what the author is trying to get across is that minimalism is an individual concept for each person. This is more of a history of the movement/word/lifestyle. Minimalism is what you make of it. One person may think it’s a way to organize, where another looks at it as a way to forget. Should you do it? That’s on you. For me minimalism is a means to determine what you think is important to you and help you focus on that. Things are often a distraction to really understanding what is truly important. Sounds drastic and maybe confining but actually it’s freeing.

Not what I expected

The book felt less on a subject of minimalism, and more like Frasier Crane explaining art to his brother Niles. If you seek knowledge and perspective on minimalism as a lifestyle it’s stretched very thin and does only a quick and shallow dive - if you want the artists opinion on different art, architecture, litterature, culture and musical pieces, then it’s probably right up your alley. Considering half the description of the book mentions modern day lifestyle minimalists, I had expected a very different focus. It seems plastered on to draw readers.