Iron John

This bestseller is a new vision of what a man is or could be, drawing on psychology, anthropology, mythology, folklore and legend.

“Important. Timely and powerful.” —New York Times

Robert Bly writes that it is clear to men that the images of adult manhood given by popular culture are worn out—men can no longer depend on them. In Iron John , Robert Bly looks at the importance of the Wild Man (reminiscent of the Wild Woman in Women Who Run With the Wolves), who he compares to a Zen priest, a shaman or a woodman. He explores the idea of the missing father in contemporary society.

Iron John draws upon a cornucopia of legend and literature—as varied as the poetry of William Blake, Jungian psychology, and Sioux initiation rituals—to encourage men in their pursuit of the “inner warrior.”

• "Important...timely...powerful."
  The New York Times
• "Combining erudition with enthusiasm...Bly conducts a fascinating examination of myth, literature, psychology, and anthropology....As thought-provoking an exploration of men and masculinity as any in recent years."
  Newsday