The Act of Creation

by Arthur Koestler

Book Overview

The Act of Creation begins where this view ceases to be true. Koestler affirms that all creatures have the capacity for creative activity, frequently suppressed by the automatic routines of thought... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0000EEOQC
• Release Date: January 1964
• Publisher: Macmillan Company
• Length: 751 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Indispensible

This is a remarkable book. Some years ago, I used it as the basis of a course I wrote on Thinking & Creativity. When I first read it, I was astonished to realise that the agonising process I had been going through daily in my (then) profession of advertising copywriter was something that all creative people went through - if they were trying hard enough. One other thing struck me then. How much Edward de Bono appears to owe to Koestler's theories. Has he ever acknowledged this?

A Masterpiece, sadly forgotten, worth reviving

Recently, I have read a lot of books on Creativity and Innovation. My big surprise is that virtually none of them mention Koestler's The Act of Creation. This is unfortunate because this book is probably the most authoritative examination of creativity. Attention to this classic is worth reviving. Koestler examines three types of creativity - Humor, Science, and Poetry. Humor, according to him, is cruel (a valuable insight). Poetry, and other forms of art, integrate oneself with the World. Science occupies the neutral middle. It is amazing how Koestler manages to link all three kinds of creativity with a common framework. My two biggest take-aways from this book are regarding the process of creation and its form. As Koestler describes beautifully - "..uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills. The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole." This is corroborated by all geniuses who have stood `on the shoulder of giants'. Even inventors like Edison fit this framework. This is close to saying that instead of thinking `outside the box', link several boxes to each other. The other great insight is that the final breakthrough is rarely verbal, but in images. So people see new insights in a dream-like trance, rather than expressing it in language. Language, probably, impedes creativity. There are several more delightful and relevant insights on creativity in this masterpiece. Nearly a bible on creativity.

A rare masterpiece connecting the dots of insightful thought

A fascinating read for the person who steps back and wonders - it gives glimpses and answers through an integrated body of research and a graceful and insightful fireside chat about it all. One of my all time favourite books. I can hardly wait to read it again!

The most authoratative text on creative processes I know.

The book looks at creativity from a broader perspective than what is generally portrayed in society. It looks at the creativity involved in sciences, humour and of course the arts, showing that the three types are inextricably linked, and that the creative process for genius in all areas follow incredible parallels. His theory on bisociative deductions is marvellous. One of my favourite books.

The roots of human creativity and its relation to nature.

THE ACT OF CREATION has attracted a cult following since its original 1964 publication. It set the stage for much of the "New Age" literature of the following decades. Koestler draws analogies between human creativity and evolution in nature, seeing them as two different aspects of a single process. Koestler's writing is eminently readable and still highly topical three decades later.