On Waiting

Penelope waited by her loom for Odysseus, Vladimir and Estragon waited for Godot, and all of us at some time or other have to wait, for buses, phone calls and the kettle to boil. But do we know what the checking of one's watch, or pacing back and forth is really about? What is the relationship between waiting and time, especially the future? Is there an ethics of waiting? And do the internet, online shopping and text messaging mean waiting is at an end? On Waiting explores all of these oddly overlooked questions in compelling fashion. Drawing on some fascinating examples, from the philosopher Henri Bergson and Henry James's The Wings of the Dove to the poetry of Rilke and Raymond Carver and the painting of Ferdinand Hodler, On Waiting is the first book to present a philosophy of waiting.Schweizer, Harold is the author of 'On Waiting' with ISBN 9780415775076 and ISBN 0415775078.