Maria popova olivia laing, in her new book, the lonely city, picks up the topic of painful urban isolation and sets it down in many smart and oddly consoling places. A dazzling investigation into loneliness, art and the modern city a fierce and essential work helen macdonald. So i promised myself id start on the lonely city tonight, just trying to tie up any loose ends before i started to turn my attention to it. Mar 01, 2016 this is an edited extract from the lonely city by olivia laing, published this week by canongate books. For most, any trip to the empire state starts or finishes in its iconic metropolis. Its not easy to pull off switching between criticism and confessionand like echo spring, the lonely city is an impressive and beguiling combination of autobiography and biography, a balancing act that laing effortlessly performs. The lonely city adventures in the art of being alone by olivia laing paperback 9781782111252 published by canongate 2 march 2017. The lonely city, like laings previous bookstakes an idiosyncratic approach, merging memoir, philosophy, travelogue and biographyreading this book on a lonesome business trip, i found myself wondering if the lonely city made the exact wrong or exact right companion for forlorn airport loitering and desolate continental breakfasting.
Intrigued by the premise that art can heal, or at least significantly relieve loneliness i was immediately caught up in the gentle and deeply evocative world that writer, olivia laing, has created. The lonely city adventures in the art of being alone. The starting point is olivia laings own period of intense loneliness, living in new york after the end of a relationship, bringing to life the sooftentrue cliche of being alone in a crowd, isolated and displaced in the centre of one of the worlds most populous cities. The lonely city, like laings previous books the trip to echo spring, about famous alcoholic writers, and to the river, about the ouse. The lonely city is subtitled adventures in the art of being alone, and the irony of that phrase is palpable. The book was first published by picador in 2016 and, like laings previous works, it blends research, biography and memoir the majority of the research for the book took place when laing was living alone in new york city after having been abruptly left by a partner. Adventures in the art of being alone kindle edition by laing, olivia. Adventures in the art of being alone ended up being so much more than i expected. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Her gift as a critic is her ability to imaginatively sympathize with her subject in a way that allows the art and life of the artist to go on radiating meaning. Olivia laings the lonely city explores the connection between.
Its a celebration of a strange and lovely state, adrift from the larger continent of human experience, but intrinsic to the very act of being alive. How art helped me see the beauty in loneliness books the. In its interdisciplinary scope and mix of culture, theory, and memoir, the lonely city brings to mind other nonfiction hits of recent years, books like maggie nelsons the argonauts or leslie jamisons the empathy exams. There are expanding pages, like the one above, that open up and flaps that flip open to reveal more animals and facts inside.
This is an edited extract from the lonely city by olivia laing, published this week by canongate books. Explore new york holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. The lonely city on apple books apple books apple apple. Olivia laings 2016 book is part memoirtracking her unexpectedly isolated stint in new york cityand part anthropological study of a group of famously lonely artists. A dazzling work of biography, memoir, and cultural criticism on the subject of loneliness, told through the lives of iconic artists, by the acclaimed author of the trip.
The lonely city was an unexpected and not totally welcomed expose of the lives of several famous artists and writers who predominately lived in new york city from the 1960s1980s. Laing opens up the work by admitting her feelings of shame about being lonely. These novels are actually in the police procedural genre the mcbain books, for instance, are its american equivalent and center on a group of investigators in the english city of nottingham. Notes on living to read and reading to live catapult. The city has pockets of relative calm in places like the lekki conservation centre, an expansive coastal nature park with a canopy walkway suspended above crocodileinfested wetlands. The lonely city is a stunning homage to how extreme loneliness can make us more hospitable to the strangeness of others to the risks and innovations of art and artists. Some will try to spread that net to catch a few more readers, but they cant escape their own character. Like many lonely people, he was an inveterate hoarder, making and. Mar 02, 2017 well, nothing, to tell the truth, but reading the lonely city. Laing has written a classic that will be cherished for years to come deborah levy, author of swimming home. These are our most comprehensive, indepth city guides, designed for visits lasting from a couple of days up to one week or more.
Hanya yanagihara, the new yorker olivia laing, in her new book, the lonely city, picks up the topic of painful urban isolation and sets it down in many smart and oddly consoling places. Well, nothing, to tell the truth, but reading the lonely city. The millions the lonely city bristles with heartpiercing wisdom. Olivia will be interviewed at the barbican, london on 8. However, if you confine your travels only to the five boroughs theres a considerable amount youre missing out on. Apr 05, 2019 think about the character of the destination and the character of your travel. Feb 28, 2016 this is an edited extract from the lonely city. The 7 books that taught me how to love being alone bustle.
Its a ghostly blueprint of urban lonelinessan emotion that laing calls a city in itselfthat reminds us how loneliness can sometimes bring us together. Ive got my copy, but for those of you that dont, ive been in touch with a few bookstores to. Mar 20, 2016 the lonely city, like laings previous books the trip to echo spring, about famous alcoholic writers, and to the river, about the ouse, where virginia woolf drowned herself. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the lonely city. In its interdisciplinary scope and mix of culture, theory, and memoir, the lonely city brings to mind other nonfiction hits of recent years, books like maggie. Finally i would like to thank the author for introducing me to the works of david.
These books taught me how to be alone and why theres power in loneliness. Adventures in the art of being alone is a nonfiction book written by olivia laing. Complement it with rebecca solnit on how we find ourselves by getting lost, david whyte on the transfiguration of aloneness, alfred kazin on loneliness and the immigrant experience, and sara maitland on how to be alone without being lonely. Adventures in the art of being alone from the worlds largest community of readers. Ive got my copy, but for those of you that dont, ive been in touch with a few bookstores to make sure theyd be able to get copies. Like all the lonely of the city, the aids victims of whom laing writes so movingly cannot be defeated by the larger forces of stigma and exclusion, which can and should be resisted. The stories are told by the author who researches the darker sides of these people in her attempt to understand her own loneliness. Nevertheless, jakarta is, in its own fashion, a megacity that works from its teeming freeways to its old dutch colonial capital, the onetime batavia now known simply as.
Humane, provocative, and moving, the lonely city is a celebration of a strange and lovely state, adrift from the larger continent of human experience, but intrinsic to the very act of being alive. Adventures in the art of being alone et des millions. The subtitle of the lonely city, adventures in the art of being alone, has a double meaning. The lonely city, a personal study of urban isolation. Endlessly, compulsively fascinating, laings book has a character of its own. The lonely city, like laings previous books the trip to echo spring, about famous alcoholic writers, and to the river, about the ouse, where virginia woolf drowned herself. Nevertheless, jakarta is, in its own fashion, a mega city that works from its teeming freeways to its old dutch colonial capital, the onetime batavia now known simply as. These books are especially well attuned to the needs of older travelers, but some readers may feel like theyre being handled with unnecessary kid gloves. So, i am thinking about writing a nonfictional book about a lonely man, but i am looking for some references.
By supporting publications with local writers, you are supporting responsible local. How to pick the best travel guide books and 11 of our. I recently picked up a copy of olivia laings the lonely city and. Olivia will be interviewed at the barbican, london on 8 march by andrew grahamdixon.
Starting with its evocative opening lines, the lonely city dishes up a poetic, spellbinding examination of the pain and occasional pleasures of human solitude. Partly its a critics investigation into the lives and work of certain visual artists whose productions speak to the authors. Humane, provocative and deeply moving, the lonely city is about the spaces between people and the things that draw them together, about sexuality, mortality and the magical possibilities of art. Perhaps the best praise i can give this book is to concur with ms. Explore unescolisted belfries in bruges and tournai, savour belgian pralines at a brussels chocolatier and stroll along the river gorge in luxembourg city all with your. Then head to the library and read a few pages of each. Lonely planet lists the contributors on the back page. There are ten books in all, with the concluding volume in the series being the 1999 release, last rites. Books about loneliness or with lonely characters so, i am thinking about writing a nonfictional book about a lonely man, but i am looking for some references. Olivia laings blisteringly precise the lonely city is a mustread in this meditation on solitude and new york, we comprehend the pain, but also the beauty by carlene bauer. The book was first published by picador in 2016 and, like laings previous works, it blends research, biography and memoir. Endlessly, compulsively fascinating, laings book has a.
How art helped me see the beauty in loneliness books. A stalwart of travel publishing, fodors has been producing good basic european guidebooks for american travelers since the 1930s. Adventures in the art of being alone by olivia laing canongate books. The lonely city of the title is teeming with painters, filmmakers, writers, and thinkers.
Olivia laings the lonely city changes how we view artistic. Each publication has its target audience and style to go with it. Named a best book of the year by npr, newsweek, slate, pop sugar, marie claire, elle, publishers weekly, and lit hub. Sep 05, 2017 humane, provocative, and moving, the lonely city is a celebration of a strange and lovely state, adrift from the larger continent of human experience, but intrinsic to the very act of being alive. She has been the deputy books editor of the observer, and writes for the. A beautiful meander of a book hanya yanagihara, the new yorker an extraordinary morethanmemoir. Writing about art, music and loneliness books podcast. The lonely city is a book about art as redemptive force, both because it saves us from feeling alone and also tackles the concept of loneliness in a way that most of us refuse to do in the course of our ordinary conversations. The lonely city is a layered and endlessly rewarding book, among the finest i have ever read. In her new book, laing the trip to echo spring creates a map of loneliness, tracking its oftenparadoxical. In her new book, laing the trip to echo spring creates a map of loneliness, tracking its oftenparadoxical contours in her own life as a transplant to new york city and traces how loneliness can inspire creativity. How to pick the best travel guide books and 11 of our favorites. The lonely city, like laings previous books the trip to echo spring, about famous alcoholic writers, and to the river, about the ouse, where virginia woolf drowned herself takes an.
The starting point is olivia laings own period of intense loneliness, living in new york after the end of a relationship, bringing. After a few days, head north to oshogbo and ileife, the cradle of yoruba culture. These destinations will bring your kids favorite books to. Laing has been the deputy books editor of the observer, and writes for the. In her new book, laing the trip to echo spring creates a map of loneliness, tracking its. Just like the other two lonely planet kids books we received, washington dc city trails is also packed full of fun facts and cool illustrations. The lonely city, by olivia laing the new york times.
The book s socalled adventures are all withdrawn and introspective. Warhol, whose cultivation of a machinelike aesthetic in which sameness. It is too easy to phone it in, without any firsthand experience from the streets they are talking about. Feb 27, 2016 olivia laings blisteringly precise the lonely city is a mustread in this meditation on solitude and new york, we comprehend the pain, but also the beauty by carlene bauer.
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