The Philosopher and the Wolf cover art

The Philosopher and the Wolf

Lessons from the Wild on Love, Death and Happines

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Philosopher and the Wolf

By: Mark Rowlands
Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

This fascinating book charts the relationship between Mark Rowlands, a rootless philosopher, and Brenin, his extraordinarily well-travelled wolf. More than just an exotic pet, Brenin exerted an immense influence on Rowlands as both a person and, strangely enough, as a philosopher, leading him to reevaluate his attitude toward love, happiness, nature, and death. By turns funny (what do you do when your wolf eats your air-conditioning unit?) and poignant, this life-affirming book will make you reappraise what it means to be human.

©2009 Mark Rowlands (P)2015 Audible, Ltd. Philosophy Funny

Critic reviews

"This year's most original and instructive work of popular philosophy...a remarkable portrait of the bond that can exist between a human being and a beast.... Rowlands is] a rare contemporary philosopher who is able to learn from everything he experiences in life, not just books and academic journals. That is what makes The Philosopher and the Wolf so refreshing." (Financial Times)
"An extraordinary memoir." (Daily Mail)
"A powerfully subversive critique of the unexamined assumption that shape the way most philosophers - along with most people - think about animals and themselves." (Literary Review)
"Rowland's memoir is life-affirming, engrossing, thoughtful and moving...The Philosopher and the Wolf could become a philosophical cult classic." (TLS)
"Nothing short of human existence, survival and our relationship to all other creatures is examined here and it's all written in a beautifully elegiac way. The heart-strings will be pulled and the mind stimulated."(City AM)
All stars
Most relevant
Ñot what I expected. Rather long winded in places and pragmatic. But if you like a tale about a man and his cherished dog its quite a charming epitaph. The philosophy is a bit harď to digest. Overall an entertaining tale but thats it.

An entertaining memorial to a mans dog.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the most beautiful stories you will ever read. Understanding Humans in comparison to animals helps us question some of the most bizarre behaviours in human culture.

So human

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A lovely memoir of the author’s time with a wolf, interspersed with philosophical musings. There were times when the philosophical musings became slightly abstract and tedious but overall, this is a lovely book and there are more than enough wolf anecdotes to keep it interesting.

Well narrated, frank and touching memoir

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love this book. As a former philosophy student I've missed thinking about the big questions in life. This book presents an interesting, funny and accessible story. I can't wait to get hold of Mark Rowlands next book.

Best book I've downloaded

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book amazed me. I found it touching and humorous, which I expected. I didn't expect to find it so deeply moving and powerful, illuminating aspects of myself and my experience through his exploration of himself, his wolf, and what it means to be either. ..Or both. The narrator does an exceptional job, and I am left feeling like I just had a precious conversation with the author in which he taught me about life and my self.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews