Santiago Beruete

From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the ecological vegetable patches planted by urban guerrillas, the garden has been a reflection of society. Anyone fortunate enough to have a bit of green space around their house faces a complicated decision: Shall I fence it in and grow cabbage? Decorate it with a line of perfectly trimmed hedges? Install some swings and a fountain? Sit there and gaze at the horizon while pondering the immensity of the cosmos? Similar questions were formulated by Pre-Socratic philosophers, decadent Frenchmen at Versailles, and the first misanthrope who ran off to live in the woods. How we use the “domesticated nature” that is our garden evolves along with the world, and with each person. This book tells that story through the gardens of history’s great thinkers, artists, and architects. It’s a story of happiness, the good life, and the use of time and space, in a unique book that mostly speaks of pleasure.

"Throughout the pages, the poet, philosopher and anthropologist places the garden at the center of thought, offering through it a broad panorama of the evolution of our conception of the good life, that is, a happy and fulfilled life". L'amour des Livres