the art of loving

This work, one of the most influential in contemporary thought, develops a theory of love that focuses on the "deep need" universally faced by man: that of overcoming and transcending individual life itself. An absolute failure to satisfy such a need can lead to madness; a full satisfaction of it is found only in love. And what is love? Fromm conceives it not only as a specific personal relationship but as a peculiar attitude of the mature character that appears in various forms: brotherly love, maternal love, erotic love, self-love, love of God... The author starts from the premise that love is not an accidental and mechanical phenomenon that is simply "experienced." It is, on the contrary, an art, something that requires learning. Thus, the reader familiar with other works by Fromm will find here the same vital breath, a depth in the discourse that does not exclude great simplicity in the exposition. Since 1959, everyone has learned to love with Erich Fromm.