Most people go through life chasing illusions of success, fame, wealth, happiness, and few things are more painful than the reality-revealing loss of an illusion. But if illusions are negative, why is the opposite, being disillusioned, also negative? In this essay based on his inaugural writer-in-residence lecture at Athabasca University, internationally acclaimed writer Steven Heighton mathematically evaluates the paradox of disillusionment and the negative aspects of hope. Drawing on writers such as Herman Melville, Leonard Cohen, Kate Chopin, and Thich Nhat Hanh, Heighton considers the influence of illusions on creativity, art, and society. This meditation on language and philosophy reveals the virtues of being disillusioned and, perhaps, the path to freedom.

About the Author
Steven Heighton is the author of several books, including Reaching Mithymna: Among the Volunteers and Refugees on Lesvos, The Nightingale Won't Let You Sleep, and the 2016 Governor General's Award for Poetry recipient, The Waking Comes Late. He is writer-in-residence at Athabasca University.



Book Information
ISBN 9781771993265
Author Steven Heighton
Format Paperback
Page Count 48
Imprint AU Press
Publisher AU Press