The Lonely City

Adventures in the Art of Being Alone

De: Olivia Laing

Narrado por: Susan Lyons

An expertly crafted work of reportage, memoir, and biography on the subject of loneliness told through the lives of six iconic artists, by the acclaimed author of The Trip to Echo Spring. You can be lonely anywhere, but there is a particular flavor to the loneliness that comes from living in a city, surrounded by thousands of strangers. The Lonely City is a roving cultural history of urban loneliness, centered on the ultimate city: Manhattan, that teeming island of gneiss, concrete, and glass.

What does it mean to be lonely? How do we live if we're not intimately involved with another human being? How do we connect with other people, particularly if our sexuality or physical body is considered deviant or damaged? Does technology draw us closer together or trap us behind screens?

Olivia Laing explores these questions by traveling deep into the work and lives of some of the century's most original artists, among them Andy Warhol, David Wojnarowicz, Edward Hopper, Henry Darger, and Klaus Nomi. Part memoir, part biography, part dazzling work of cultural criticism, The Lonely City is not just a map, but a celebration of the state of loneliness. It's a voyage out to a strange and sometimes lovely island, adrift from the larger continent of human experience, but visited by many - millions, say - of souls.

©2016 Olivia Laing (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Biography of NY Artists

Lonely City is a well-written, poetic account of loneliness and it's affect on the artists Edward Hopper, Henry Darger, Dave Wojnarowicz, and Andy Warhol. More biography than memoir.

Unexpected and somewhat graphic

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 1960s-1980s. The stories are told by the author who
researches the darker sides of these people in her attempt to understand her own loneliness. The narrative is extremely intimate and graphic at times. An interesting side story that weaves around these lives is a look at the ways technology impacts humans. Unfortunately, this is somewhat depressing as well, but a brutal look at the secondary impacts that result from the variety of devices that are touted as great aides to humans. The various themes of social isolation, prejudices, depression, and of course loneliness make this book difficult to finish. However, it is worth the task for those who are willing to suffer a bit and learn more about the things that are not discussed by most people.

Disappointed

Started out as an interesting story with good information about different artists.AIDS facts drags on and on . This is basically a documentary.

Thorough interesting research, average story

I enjoyed the accounts of the artists in this book, and I found myself looking them and their art up throughout the book out of curiosity. Which that's what this book did - perked my curiosity. I liked the art history lesson, which you can tell Olivia Laing has done some very thorough research and I thought her own personal story and how it intertwined with the artists was cool. But at times the narration got old and dry, and I wasn't dying to listen to it everyday. Written beautifully, but not always profound.

Thank you

I immediately re listened I wanted to absorb as much as I could while still open

Famous people lonely

The author waxes poetic about her own loneliness and of celebrities. The parts that hit for me are about Andy Warhol as I only know his art and had no idea about his personal life.

Read This Book

Olivia Laing is simply a brilliant thinker. Listening to The Lonely City, I felt like I was walking around NYC having a captivating, in-depth, magical conversation with my smartest friend about Artists and culture and the sad (sometimes wondrous) baggage that comes with humanity. So good.

Beautifully Written, Engaging, Informative

What made the experience of listening to The Lonely City the most enjoyable?

Olivia Laing's writing was on point. This is a great book to read/listen to if you are or have ever been lonely, if you are or have ever been an artist, if you are interested in art or art history or New York City, or if you are interested in the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. I downloaded the book in a fit of acute loneliness, and it was comforting. I did not expect it to be so satisfying personally, politically, intellectually, and artistically. It's one of my top five audiobooks ever.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! But it's too dense to absorb all at once. I immediately started it from the beginning after I finished it, and wrote out several quotes so that I could go back to reference them later.

Remarkable and fascinating

An account of the author saving herself by learning, learning and expressing all she could about the city in which she lived temporarily and some remarkable artists had lived, worked, and died. New York and art, and the redemptive quality of the painful emotion of loneliness--these are some of the subjects of this wonderful book. Beautifully performed!

Highly relatable, unexpectedly personal.

I read the description not quite knowing what to expect. This novel forced me to look inward, forcing me, not reluctantly, to empathize with many of the individuals that were discussed.