Matthew Beaumont

Introduction: Lost and unlost steps -- Convalescing -- Going astray -- Disappearing -- Fleeing -- Wandering -- Collapsing -- Striding, staring -- Beginning -- Stumbling -- Not belonging -- Afterword: Walking in London and Paris at night.

On Finding and Losing Yourself in the Modern City

The Walker

"Isn't it really quite extraordinary to see that, since man took his first steps, no one has asked himself why he walks, how he walks, if he has ever walked, if he could walk better, what he achieves in walking?"
—
Slowly coming out of a long period of nationwide lock-down and self-quarantine, simply going out on a stroll in the city has taken on a strange, elating, fresh importance. As I walked in the re-awakening streets, I found myself thinking about this book that nudges the walker to think more about each step we take, elevating walking into a meditation.
Anchored in great works of literature, The Walker is undoubtedly an incredibly well researched book that takes a philosophical deep-dive into the meaning of modernity on the urban space from a pedestrian point of view.
This work weaves through all the themes that impact the psychology of walking: literature, of course, but also architecture, technology, philosophy, society, economy and politics.
However, it does feel a lot more academic than your average non-fiction books, and it is surely a densely informational read that might be difficult to get through at times.
If nothing else, this book will add some valuable new entries to your future TBR list with its wide range of great literary references.

(I have received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

The Walker On Finding and Losing Yourself in the Modern City

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