A co-edition between Allary Editions and L’Iconoclaste.

“Using examples from their daily lives, the participants bring clarity and subtlety to bear on familiar topics such as compassion, gratitude, and nonviolence… The conversations in this sprawling feast of ideas offer a model of engaged dialogue based on mutual regard.” – PW *starred* review

“An open heart exchange, without erudition or invective.” – L’Obs

“This remarkable work is read with infinite pleasure.” – Actu litte

“A precious treaty of wisdom to learn how to live better.” – France dimanche

“These three [authors] have delivered a ‘treaty’ of wisdom that brings real answers to the questions everyone is asking: how to overcome the trials of life, regain self-esteem, stop feeling guilty, gain more freedom… [This book is] nothing less than a manual to live better.” — Le Point

“These friends had been dreaming about writing a book together for years. It isn’t a debate, but rather an exchange about what binds them, beyond their differences, as a psychiatrist, a philosopher, and a monk. Enlightening pages that do us good.” — Version Fémina

“These three authors have success when they are launching a new book, but also their previous titles once into paperback edition, they become reference books. It’s kind of like in the cinema, Depardieu, Delon and Belmondo acting together.” – Le Figaro

“Their books help you breath better – literally and figuratively – allowing you to fight against light insomnia, to better handle professional and personal relationships.” – Le Parisien

“This book was born from our friendship. We had a deep desire for an in-depth and intimate conversation about the subjects that matter the most to us. Sometimes, in my hermitage in the Himalayas, I tell myself: our only goal should be serving others. And even if we can help only one person, it’s worth it.” – Matthieu Ricard

“An unbelievable billing, a fantastic cast.” – Le Figaro premium 

“There are three of them and they kicked off the year to great fanfare.” – Livres Hebdo

AN EXCEPTIONAL TRIO

A philosopher, a monk, a psychiatrist: three old friends who are all well known for their wisdom and for the values they defend in their books and in the media. Each in his own field has written bestsellers that have reached a wide audience.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS BOOK

They have been dreaming about writing a book together for years. Not a debate, not “just another book,” but a truly important project based on the diversity of their experiences, one that would explore the question of what creates joy and hardship in life; a book that would be profound, intense, and above all, useful to the largest possible number of people. They spent ten days in the heart of the Perigord region debating the issues that are essential to them.

A BOOK TO HELP US LIVE BETTER

Neither holding themselves up as icons, nor intending to preach, they share what they yearn for most, as well as their relationship to ego, feelings and emotions, their angst, and their efforts to live in accordance with their truest selves. They draw the most essential lessons from their life paths, their reading and their years of personal and professional research in order to accompany each of us on our road through life. Through them, each of us can learn about the task of living.

Selling points:

• Three of today’s most popular authors in a single volume.
• A very personal book in which they reveal how they live day to day.
• An uncommon compilation of life lessons and advice.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk and a photographer. A molecular geneticist, he has served as an interpreter for the Dalai Lama. He first became well-known thanks to the book he wrote with his father, Jean-François Revel (The Monk and the Philosopher, 1997). The author of In Defense of Happiness and The Art of Meditation, he devotes much of his time to humanitarian projects with the organization Karuna Shechen.

Born in 1975, Alexandre Jollien spent seventeen years in a home for the physically disabled. A philosopher and a writer, his work has been attracting an ever-growing readership from In Praise of Weakness (1999, Académie Française Prize), The Task of Being a Man (2002), Building the Self (2006), A Short Treatise on Abandonment (2012).

Christophe André is a psychiatrist, one of the main French specialists in the psychology of emotions and feelings. He is the author of many successful books, including Imperfect, Free and Happy (2006 Psychologies Magazine Prize), The Soul’s States, And Don’t Forget to Be Happy. His book Meditating, Day after Day has become the N° 1 introduction to meditation.