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Books

The Meaning of Life compiled by John Gabay

Tim LeBon browses an anthology on The Meaning of Life.

At times of crisis people sometimes begin to wonder if life has any meaning at all. Some may turn to philosophy for the answer but Jonathan Gabay, after employment, health and stress problems, instead wrote to over a hundred people, many of them outstanding achievers in their field, and asked them for their answer. This excellent book is a compilation of the answers, the proceeds being donated to the Red Cross.

The format of the book is winningly simple – a selection of the answers received are listed in alphabetical order preceded by a few sentences about the contributor. To add gravitas, quotes from the great and the good of the past are intermingled with those of contemporaries, with the curious result that one can see the views on the meaning of life of ex-boxer John Conteh a few pages after Jesus Christ’s and the actress Beryl Reid’s just after Bertrand Russell’s.

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