The Book of Tea

Written in 1906, The Book of Tea has reverberated through the generations. But do not let the age of this seminal work create the illusion of dusty antiqity. The wit, urgency, and brightness of philosopher and writer Okakura Kakuzō could very well have been written last week, let alone over a century ago.

This book is his exploration, in a series of seven essays, into Teaism - a blend of Zen and Taoist philosophy where all of humanity can meet "in the tea cup." Weaving through Chinese folk tales, stories of Zen monks, aestheticism, and the tea masters themselves, Kakuzō presents his thesis where both east and west can be united in the tea room. The book itself can be seen as his attempt to counteract and soothe ideological differences, and that we can - like the great tea master Sen No Rikyu - transcend the hubbub and shiny distractions in our everyday, and embrace the beauty found in the smallest everyday.

As Kakuzō says, teaism is "the noble secret of laughing at yourself, calmly yet thoroughly, and is thus humour itself."

Audiobook narrated by Jo Davies

Running time approx 2 hours 18 minutes