[PREORDER] The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone
This is a preorder book, available to order from 25 June to 10 July. Estimated arrival is 2–4 weeks after the preorder period ends (it may arrive sooner!).
Sometimes feeling alone can open your eyes to what truly connects us.
In The Lonely City, Olivia Laing explores her own aching sense of isolation in New York and traces it through the lives of artists who made loneliness their muse. From Edward Hopper’s shadow-soaked diners to Andy Warhol’s intimate archives and David Wojnarowicz’s fierce activism, she looks closely at people who turned their solitude into art and into a bridge toward something more.
Mixing memoir, biography, and cultural criticism, Laing reminds readers that loneliness is not a flaw to hide but an experience to embrace and examine. Humane, vivid, and deeply moving, The Lonely City is a meditation on the ache of being human and on the quiet beauty that can emerge when we dare to look at ourselves honestly.
📗 In The Mood For…
Feeling Seen
A gentle, insightful exploration of isolation and the hunger for connection.
✅ Speaks directly to anyone who’s ever felt left on the outside looking in
✅ Uses art and personal history to make loneliness feel understandable and even shared
Learning Something New
A rich, interdisciplinary journey into art, history, and emotional experience.
✅ Blends biography, memoir, and cultural critique with warmth and intelligence
✅ Gives readers a new lens for understanding the creative process and the human condition
📘 Stories About…
Connection & Solitude
This is a heartfelt exploration of how loneliness shapes our inner worlds.
✅ Moves between public spaces and private feelings, between isolation and intimacy
✅ Suggests that recognizing our loneliness can help us reach toward one another
Truth & Illusion
Looks at the myths surrounding loneliness and reveals the honesty within.
✅ Unpacks the stigma around being alone
✅ Gives readers permission to face their own emotional landscapes with compassion