Solipsist

by Henry Rollins

Book Overview

"I saw the word Solipsist while reading the dictionary in 1993. I was living
in NYC at the time and the word defined how the city made me feel. I worked
on this book in several cities all over the world until 1996. The writing is
obsessive and claustrophobic. To be solipsistic is to totally realize the ego
and the nightmare of utter self-possession. I went for it and it swallowed me
whole." --Henry Rollins

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880985594
• ISBN13: 9781880985595
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: 2/13/61
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

i can not change or hide what i am even if i wantd to....

when i first read "solipsist" i cried.yes. i did... i am not some rollins fanatic,but i have to admit that this guy really knows what he is talking about.the way he describes loneliness,pain,humiliation that goes along sometimes with "being real" with women,the alienation that big cities can make you feel...this book sums it all up-in living colour,simple language and gut wrenching honesty.rollins talks about situations that many of us go through- the need for someone,the sleepless nights after a loved one leaves...the burning need to know where she is and what she is doing....but! unlike others,rollins offers different solutions.rollins confronts his fear instead of being over sensitive (although his writing IS very sensitive and intelligent)- rollins offers confrontation instead of fear,long periods of loneliness instead of forced agony in marriage. he does NOT give the easy option.he tells it like it is:"wonder where your EX is? let me assuer you-she is with someone else".brutal? yes.. but true.this might not be easy reading,but whenever i was down,whenever i have felt bad about myself-whenever i woke up in the middle of the night- i opened "solipsist".didnt even matter which page ,and started reading.this book is a MUST for everyone who has ever had a hard time and DIDNT break.i will close this recommendation with a quote from "solipsist":AND YOU NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU ARE.WARRIOR.

Hank finally gets a grip.

I stopped reading Henry's books after"Now Watch Him Die", which aided my downward spiral into the black hole of depression. Now 5 years and thousands of dollars worth of therapy later, I tentively reached out to the writings of dear old Henry. I came away from this experience with one MAJOR thought(and lots of smaller, yet more important ones). That thought was: I NEVER WANT TO BE FAMOUS. Another thought was, this guy needs some friends. Anyway, a prime book, by one of the greatest "see-ers" of this generation. Somehow, this book was more caustic than past works, but it was not so blatant. Please read this book, then read Henry Miller...

Rollins' most consistent work to date

"I saw the word Solipsist while reading the dictionary in 1993," Rollins writes on the dust jacket to his latest book. "I was living in NYC at the time and the word defined how the city made me feel. I worked on the book in several cities all over the world until 1996. The writing is obsessive and claustrophobic. To be solipsistic is to totally realize the ego and the nightmare of utter self-possession. I went for it and it swallowed me whole." That pretty much sums it up. While Rollins' writing has always been misanthropic, this is his manifesto. Lines like "all you ever did was take and watch yourself in the mirror the whole time" litter the pages. It's tough going at times, but there's an oddly positive undercurrent that tempers much of the negativity that's overshadowed much of his past work. Rollins has turned a corner with this one. As he explores the themes of alienation and self-knowledge, he lets a little more of himself bleed onto the pages than before. The topics of sellouts, fans and critics are also addressed in a much more holistic manner. Rollins seems more at ease with himself and his lot in life. Some have criticized him for being a cartoony punk Celine, but there's more to his writing than that, and it shows through in SOLIPSIST, his most consistent and literate book to date.

A Definate Must Read for Any Rollins Fan...

By far, Solipsist is Henry's most emotional book. I could not put the book down. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Henry Rollins or interested in reading a scathingly brilliant book!

ANARCHIC AND EXTREMELY GREAT READING

I could not stop reading this book but I feel like I am definitely harmed by it all. It is scary and it makes me wonder what is real and what is not. I feel like I am crazy now and worried I won't recover. A-ha, that's Life. Maybe Maybe.