We all want more free time. But do we know how to use it? 'Illuminating and
thought-provoking' Darian Leader 'I feel renewed and accompanied by Singh's tender
self-explorations and insights' Amy Key The celebrated psychoanalyst Marion Milner lived for
the entirety of the twentieth century. By the age of ninety-eight she had written nine books
revealing how free time and creativity are vital for a fulfilled life. Akshi Singh was born
ninety years after Milner in Rajasthan over four thousand miles away from where Milner lived
and worked. At first glance the worlds of these two women seem entirely separate. Yet when
Singh found herself standing at a crossroads in her life and grieving personal loss she
realised the questions and preoccupations Milner was exploring were her own. In Defence of
Leisure presents Marion Milner as a writer for our times. In asking the simple question: how do
I want to spend my free time ? Milner developed a method for discovering her true likes and
dislikes. As Singh follows Milner's approach - from keeping a diary to painting building a
home to travelling to the sea - she discovers the importance of rest creativity and play in
all of our lives and how it can open the door to achieving what we truly desire. 'An
exquisite open-hearted celebration of desire friendship and lives imaginatively lived'
Marianne Brooker 'Astounding generous and quietly exhilarating ' Daisy LaFarge 'Singh's
verve and intelligence radiate from every page' Hannah Zeavin
