First published 1958
Gaston Bachelard examines the poetic power of intimate spaces in our daily lives. He argues that houses, rooms, cellars, attics, drawers, chests, wardrobes, nests, shells, nooks, and corners all serve as vessels for our thoughts and reveries. Bachelard guides readers through meditations on poetry, art, and consciousness itself, showing how domestic places hold and shape our dreams and memories. No space proves too large or too small to contain human imagination. The philosopher suggests we exist as poets rather than historians, with our emotions expressing lost poetry. This lyrical exploration connects the emergence of poetic images to the metaphor of home's intimate spaces. The work has inspired philosophers, architects, writers, psychologists, and critics since 1958. This edition includes a foreword by Mark Z. Danielewski and an introduction by Richard Kearney.
Genres: art, philosophy, biography-memoir, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: philosophical, poetic
Period: 1958
268 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics