Colin Wilson
A self-taught philosopher who rocketed to fame with 'The Outsider,' championing a radical, optimistic form of existentialism that explored consciousness and human potential.
1931–2013 (age 82)·English writer·Birthday: June 26·The Silent Generation
Biography
Colin Wilson erupted onto the British literary scene in 1956 as an 'Angry Young Man,' but his anger was metaphysical. His debut, 'The Outsider,' was a startling synthesis of philosophy, literature, and psychology that examined the figure of the social misfit as a visionary. Overnight, he was hailed as a major intellectual voice. Rather than retreat into academia, Wilson spent the next five decades in a relentless, sprawling pursuit of what he called 'the new existentialism,' writing over a hundred books on topics from crime and the occult to mysticism and consciousness. Working from a modest home in Cornwall, he argued persistently for an optimistic view of human evolution, believing that peak experiences and heightened awareness were the keys to transcending the mundane. His work, often dismissed by the establishment, formed a unique and persistent counter-current in modern thought.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Colin was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 80
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2013Died at 82
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Published his influential first book, 'The Outsider,' at age 24, causing an immediate literary sensation.
- Authored a vast and diverse body of work encompassing over 100 books on philosophy, the paranormal, true crime, and fiction.
- Developed and promoted his own philosophical system, which he termed 'new existentialism' or 'phenomenological existentialism.'
Did You Know?
He wrote the first draft of 'The Outsider' while living in a sleeping bag on Hampstead Heath.
He was an avid researcher of the paranormal and wrote extensively about the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti.
His personal library was said to contain over 30,000 volumes.
“The average man is a conformist, accepting miseries and disasters with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain.”
