Carpe Diem Regained

Existentialism is back

Carpe diem - 'seize the day' - is one of the oldest pieces of life advice in Western history. But its true spirit has been hijacked by ad men and self-help gurus, reduced to the instant hit of one-click online shopping, or slogans like 'live in the now'. We need to reclaim it to make sense of our complex, confusing times.

The last great expression of carpe diem was in the electrifying existential philosophy of the 1940s. Today it's an idea that challenges us to confront our mortality and live with greater passion and intention rather than scroll mindlessly on our phones or allow freedom to become a mere choice between brands.

In Carpe Diem Regained, Roman Krznaric reinvents existentialism for our age of information and choice overload. An essential and empowering work of contemporary philosophy, the book unveils the surprising ways of seizing the day that humankind has discovered over the centuries, ones we urgently need to revive.

Carpe diem is the existentialism for our times.

"I've started reading Roman Krznaric's Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day - and it's brilliant. One of those rare books that forces you to ask what the hell you're doing with your life." -- George Monbiot Guardian "I have always been inspired by carpe diem so I'm delighted to have your book." -- Dame Judi Dench "With more than ever distracting us, it's an insightful guide to staying foc - er, what did you want?" -- Best Books for Summer Forbes "A rather wonderful new book is trying to seize back the noble art of day-seizing." -- Viv Groskop The Pool "As always Roman takes a unique look at the world we've created. Insightful and thought provoking." -- Tim Lovejoy

Roman Krznaric is a social philosopher whose books, including Empathy, The Wonderbox and How to Find Fulfilling Work, have been published in more than twenty languages. He is the founder of the world's first Empathy Museum and of the digital Empathy Library. He is also a founding faculty member of The School of Life and on the faculty of Year Here.

Roman has been named by the Observer as one of Britain's leading popular philosophers. His writings have been widely influential amongst political and ecological campaigners, education reformers, social entrepreneurs and designers. He is an acclaimed public speaker, and his talks and workshops have taken him from a London prison to Google's headquarters in California.

After growing up in Sydney and Hong Kong, he studied at the universities of Oxford, London and Essex, where he gained his PhD in political sociology. Roman has worked as an academic, a gardener and a human rights campaigner. He is also a fanatical real tennis player and has a passion for making furniture.

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