Olivia Laing’s book, The Lonely City, is a valuable look into the lives of a handful of artists—Hopper, Warhol, Darger, Wojnarowicz, Klaus Nomi, as well as her own—and the city in which they lived and worked: New York City. If you are interested in the topic of loneliness or aloneness, this book should probably be required reading. If you have been struggling to assemble your thoughts and ideas of loneliness—to put your finger on them—then a must read. Ms. Laing articulates loneliness incredibly well. Some of the clinical evidence presented confirms notions I have suspected for some time. I will say no more. I give this book five stars, and high praise. The intersection of bio, memoir and cultural criticism through the lens of Laing’s experience, and the experience of some amazing NY artists, is beyond compelling, and the author writes very well.
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