This program is narrated by Academy Award–winning actor, Tilda Swinton. It also contains a new afterword, read by the author.

"[Tilda Swinton's] reading is sharp yet reflective, tinged with curiosity and melancholy." —The Guardian

"Her ethereal, velvety voice and steady, measured delivery lend gravity to the broader issues examined... Somber and moving, Swinton’s performance makes The Lonely City highly memorable." — BookPage (Starred Review)

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism

#1 Book of the Year from Brain Pickings

Named a best book of the year by NPR, Newsweek, Slate, Pop Sugar, Marie Claire, Elle, Publishers Weekly, and Lit Hub

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 to Echo Spring.

When Olivia Laing moved to New York City in their mid-thirties, they found themself inhabiting loneliness on a daily basis. Increasingly fascinated by this most shameful of experiences, they began to explore the lonely city by way of art. Moving from Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks to Andy Warhol’s Time Capsules, from Henry Darger’s hoarding to David Wojnarowicz’s AIDS activism, Laing conducts an electrifying investigation into what it means to be alone, illuminating not only the causes of loneliness but also how it might be resisted and redeemed.

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.

"[Tilda] Swinton’s magnetic performance of this 10th anniversary edition adds meaningfully to the legacy of [Olivia] Laing’s magnum opus." —Kirkus

A Macmillan Audio production from Picador.