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The Longing for Less

Living with Minimalism

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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Longing for Less by Kyle Chayka, read by Christopher Ragland.

New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

"More than just a story of an abiding cultural preoccupation, The Longing For Less peels back the commodified husk of minimalism to reveal something surprising and thoroughly alive." —Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing

“Less is more”: Everywhere we hear the mantra. Marie Kondo and other decluttering gurus promise that shedding our stuff will solve our problems. We commit to cleanse diets and strive for inbox zero. Amid the frantic pace and distraction of everyday life, we covet silence—and airy, Instagrammable spaces in which to enjoy it. The popular term for this brand of upscale austerity, “minimalism,” has mostly come to stand for things to buy and consume. But minimalism has richer, deeper, and altogether more valuable gifts to offer.

Kyle Chayka is one of our sharpest cultural observers. After spending years covering minimalist trends for leading publications, he now delves beneath this lifestyle’s glossy surface, seeking better ways to claim the time and space we crave. He shows that our longing for less goes back further than we realize. His search leads him to the philosophical and spiritual origins of minimalism, and to the stories of artists such as Agnes Martin and Donald Judd; composers such as John Cage and Julius Eastman; architects and designers; visionaries and misfits. As Chayka looks anew at their extraordinary lives and explores the places where they worked—from Manhattan lofts to the Texas high desert and the back alleys of Kyoto—he reminds us that what we most require is presence, not absence. The result is an elegant new synthesis of our minimalist desires and our profound emotional needs.©2020 Kyle Chayka (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Art Career Success Motivation & Self-Improvement Personal Development Personal Success Career
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Admittedly I am only almost through part 1 of this 4 part treatise, however so far the experience has been a little demoralising.

I purchased this book because I wanted to understand the larger philosophical picture of minimalism, which I've recently been considering as part of a large household decluttering project. Decluttering is causing me to question my relationship to the material world in general, and I've been racing through a number of books - mostly practical - on the topic.

While I have enjoyed the trip through the historical roots of minimalism, unfortunately the author has adopted a tone towards current-day minimalism which is dismissive and even, at times, takes on a subtle sneer. He seems to be suffering from small journalist malaise, whereby investigating a particular movement requires, in order to be taken seriously, an underlying dose of imperiousness assumed from the pedestal of 'one who knows'. He lumps all modern-day minimalists into an Instapleb category, disparaging the "curated authenticity" of soft colours, natural materials and bare, open spaces. He derides minimalist literature as 'an exercise in banality. It's saccharin and pre-digested, presented as self-help as much as a practical how-to guide. Each book contains an easy structure of epiphany and aftermath... important phrases are bolded like a high school text book... each one offers more or less the same version as the others." He portrays minimalist authors such as Marie Kondo as prescriptive and commanding, rather that merely giving advice based on her experience, and refers to people adopting minimalism as 'devotees', which linguistically associates minimalism with blind religious zeal.

It seems to me that the author could achieve the goal of giving historical context to modern-day minimalism without insulting his audience. The reality is that we live in a world of over-consumption where we are constantly being advertised to. Mindfulness is required to navigate this world, and minimalism provides a solution. It seems petty and mean-spirited to be so dismissive of the current-day movement and zero in on the consumptive and derivative aspects of it, rather than highlighting the positive.

This could have been a celebration of minimalism, its history and its place in the modern world, including its enormous benefit as an antidote to overconsumption. Instead it comes across (so far) as an exercise in academic cynicism.

I will continue to listen to it, and edit this review if I feel it's justified.

However, for those who are riding on the upward and freeing energy of decluttering, I would not recommend this book. It will take the wind out of your sails.

Minimalists Beware

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Spends too long talking about the art movement. Overall a lot more boring than I expected. There’s better books on the topic.

Spends too long talking about the art movement

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