Product Description

Crusoe lands by chance on a strange island. Finding himself psychologically injured he feels ill at ease among the natives. Many he admires and a few he finds very attractive, but others are unfriendly, even contemptuous and many seem alienated. There are disturbing forces at work. Part of the problem is that the media and government of the island conspire to keep the population in a state of permanent stress. Crusoe writes about the life he finds at street level - about the lost, the lonely, the loud, the great unknowns, the ordinary, the disconnected - a multitude of outsiders who exist everywhere in Britain's urban society. He writes about his interior existence, his lifelong search for answers to his sense of rejection, the meaning and purpose of love, the sickness of modern society, the mystery of human existence. He is fascinated by human behaviour and the workings of his own mind. Journal of an Urban Robinson Crusoe is a portrait of a troubled yet resilient and compassionate man and the people he meets in London and Brighton in the closing years of the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #974578 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 120 pages

Review
Rob Whitley, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London REQUIRED READING Des Marshall's book must become required reading for anyone; researcher, clinician or lay person trying to understand depression. Des has a depressive disorder, but tries to live his life according to the rhythms and conventions of normal life. FICTION OR REALITY? Des is not a fictional character, though the reader may sometimes forget that as they become immersed in the subtle mixture of pathos, wit & beauty which characterises Des's writings. Des describes day to day events, rising in the morning, getting a bus, chance interactions, all mixed with a heavy dose of melancholic introspection. This is done in the form of an occasional journal. He articulates the crippling effect depression has on his life in a manner which, to my knowledge, has no parallel in either literature or non-fiction. TRIGGERS OF DEPRESSION The masterstroke is how he relates the depression to the urban environment, to the everyday, and how he cogently describes how external events can trigger psychological swings. AN INSIDE STORY It is a short book, eminently readable, and whilst there are many books on the causes, treatments and consequences of depression, Des' book is unique in that it looks at depression, from an insiders point of view. Anyone who thinks they know about depression, but has never experienced the disorder, or simply would like to know more, should read this book.

Customer Reviews

Read this witty and tragic tale of struggle and survival.
REQUIRED READING

Des Marshall's book must become required reading for anyone; researcher, clinician or lay person trying to understand depression. Des has a depressive disorder, but tries to live his life according to the rhythms and conventions of normal life.

FICTION OR REALITY?

Des is not a fictional character, though the reader may sometimes forget that as they become immersed in the subtle mixture of pathos, wit & beauty which characterises Des's writings. Des describes day to day events, rising in the morning, getting a bus, chance interactions, all mixed with a heavy dose of melancholic introspection. This is done in the form of an occasional journal. He articulates the crippling effect depression has on his life in a manner which, to my knowledge, has no parallel in either literature or non-fiction.

TRIGGERS OF DEPRESSION

The masterstroke is how he relates the depression to the urban environment, to the everyday, and how he cogently describes how external events can trigger psychological swings.

AN INSIDE STORY

It is a short book, eminently readable, and whilst there are many books on the causes, treatments and consequences of depression, Des' book is unique in that it looks at depression, from an insiders point of view. Anyone who thinks they know about depression, but has never experienced the disorder, or simply would like to know more, should read this book. Also anyone who lives in Camden or Brighton, who has lived there, or visits regularly, should read this book. They will readily identify and laugh along at Des' observations on the subtle intricacies and off-beat quirks of two of Britain's most popular neighbourhoods.