Absence of Mind

“Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest living American novelists, turns her word power towards those whose bogus science leaves us feeling that ‘our minds are not our own.’ In Absence of Mind, her affirmation of ‘human exceptionalism’ presents humanity as ‘much more than an optimised ape.’”—Christopher Jamison, Times (UK)

“I enjoyed reading Absence of Mind. The reason: it is always a pleasure to keep company with a person who takes ideas seriously.”—Siri Hustvedt, Financial Times

“Robinson’s argument is prophetic, profound, eloquent, succinct, powerful and timely.”—Karen Armstrong, The Guardian

“There is much to admire, and even to agree with, in Robinson’s humanist passion. Her defense of the insights to be gained from religion and literature is as convincing as her attacks on the facile generalizations of parascience.”—Adam Kirsch, Boston Globe

“[Robinson] makes the case with exceptional elegance and authority—the authority not only of one of the unmistakably great novelists of the age but of a clear and logical mind that is wholly intolerant of intellectual cliché. . . . This book has a greater density (and sophistication) of argument than many three times its length; but it is one of the most significant contributions yet to the current quarrels about faith, science and rationality.”—Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Daily Telegraph

“These impassioned pages require and reward very close attention.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

“The width of Robinson’s erudition is almost daunting, but she shares it with characteristic generosity. . . . Persist and you’ll be rewarded.”—Sunday Telegraph

“Those who savor Robinson’s clear prose will be gratified; her mind, in thought, is elegant.”—Publishers Weekly

“Following the inward-looking path of her award-winning fiction, Marilynne Robinson’s Absence of Mind is a finely wrought treatise in favour of religious belief.”—Chris Lehmann, The Nation

“This work of philosophy by a distinguished novelist is one of the most thought-stirring inquiries into fundamental questions in many years.”—John Gray, Globe & Mail

“Robinson’s arguments [are] so much more interesting, capacious, and informed than most. . . . Robinson makes a strong, unapologetic case, not for mystery but for self-respect.”—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

“Robinson is one of the greatest Christian thinkers alive today. She is also one of the world’s best novelists. . . . Absence of Mind is a slim but compelling volume.”—Luke Coppen, Catholic Herald

“The 2009 Orange Prize Winner considers science, religion, and consciousness, and defends the importance of individual reflection and the search for answers.”—The Bookseller

“This is a wonderful little book, full of wisdom, warmth and wit. . . . [Robinson] is able to apply her astute intellect, delicious sense of humour, incisive insight into human nature and down-to-earth philosophy of life.”—Mark Patrick Hederman, Irish Times

“I’m enjoying arguing and agreeing with Marilynne Robinson’s Absence of Mind.”—Zadie Smith, The Observer

“I have barely scratched the surface of this dense and yet endlessly entertaining little book. Marilynne Robinson is herself the best evidence of her own thesis—the exceptional mystery of the human mind.”—Bryan Appleyard, Literary Review

“It is worth admiring Robinson’s bravery and intellectual independence, and noting the sheer force and capacity of language like hers to persuade.”—Geordie Williamson, The Australian

“A typically rigorous argument about the nature of modernity from one of the greatest thinkers and novelists of our time.”—Bryan Appleyard, New Statesman, “A Year in Books”

Named a Best Book of 2010—Globe & Mail, “2010 Globe 100”