The Anxiety Project

"Daan Heerma van Voss is without a doubt the most interesting Dutch writer of his generation. Unable to write even one dull sentence, his work is of a scope and maturity one rarely sees in a 30-year old. Saying this writer is "promising" is an understatement. That promise has been amply fulfilled" Herman KochWhen Dutch novelist and historian Daan Heerma van Voss finds himself in yet another break-up because he is too anxious to live with, he goes on a long journey to find the roots of his deepest fears. He is not just interested in his personal fears, he wants to dig deep and answer big questions. Why are 264 million people suffering from anxiety, and why is this number growing every day? Where is it really coming from? What do our genes have to do with it? What is the link between anxiety and creativity? And how can you love when you're in a constant state of fear?To answer these questions, Daan takes us on a profoundly moving journey from his apartment in Amsterdam to France, Jakarta and San Francisco. Along the way we'll meet philosophers, artists and writers and other fascinating individuals from around the world. But this is also a journey through literature, the classics, the history of anxiety, and through its science, and there is something to learn on every page: 7.3 per cent of the world's population suffer from anxiety; Darwin was so anxious he vomited five times a day; more than 1600 people have jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge; if you prod a rat long enough, Cortisol will damage its brain cells and it will be paralysed.With The Anxiety Project, Daan Heerma van Voss takes a handful of all the finest non-fiction ingredients and gives them a good stir. Timely, erudite, learned and heartfelt, it will appeal to everyone who is trying to remain calm on this very nervous planet.Translated from the Dutch by David Doherty