Originally published in 1988, Anthony Storr's enlightening meditation on the creative individual's need for solitude has become a classic."Solitude" was seminal in challenging the established belief that "interpersonal relationships of an intimate kind are the chief, if not the only, source of human happiness." Indeed, most self-help literature still places relationships at the center of human existence. Lucid and lyrical, Storr's book cites numerous examples of brilliant scholars and artists -- from Beethoven and Kant to Anne Sexton and Beatrix Potter -- to demonstrate that solitude ranks alongside relationships in its impact on an individual's well-being and productivity, as well as on society's progress and health. But solitary activity is essential not only for geniuses, says Storr; the average person, too, is enriched by spending time alone.For fifteen years, readers have found inspiration and renewal in Storr's erudite, compassionate vision of human experience.

安东尼·斯托尔（Anthony Storr），英国首屈一指的心理学家、精神病学家和作家；牛津大学研究员；英国皇家内科医学院、皇家精神科医学院和皇家文学学会的资深会员。

斯托尔的研究领域涉及从性欲错乱症到人类的侵略性、从人类对于孤独的需求到创造的冲动等诸多方面。他接受了弗洛伊德的理论，同时深受荣格影响，但他没有墨守成规，而是坚决拒绝职业中的教条主义，对已有的精神疾病划分极不赞同。他专注于分析人类的负面情绪，以富有创造力的理念治疗相关疾病。

斯托尔的著作有：《荣格》（Jung）、《弗洛伊德》（Freud）、《丘吉尔的黑狗》（Churchill's Black Dog）、《人格的完整性》（The Integrity of the Personality）、《人类的破坏性》（Human Destructiveness）、《创作的原动力》（The Dynamics of Creation）、《音乐与心灵》（Music and Mind）、《精神治疗的艺术》（The art of psychotherapy）以及《泥足》（Feet of Clay）。