10th anniversary of Olivia Laing’s THE LONELY CITY

It’s been ten years since The Lonely City was published, and some very exciting things are happening to mark the anniversary of this groundbreaking and seminal book, which has had such an impact on readers, and the art of creative non-fiction, since it was first published in 2016.

Canongate are publishing a special 10th-anniversary hardback edition of the book on 4 June, with a new afterword by Olivia reflecting on loneliness in a time of rising fascism and toxic social media. Although the original Lonely City cover has become iconic, the new edition will have the cover they always dreamt of, using a photograph from David Wojnarowicz’s ‘Rimbaud in New York’ series. Pre-order here.

A brand new audio book will be out of 18 June, read by none other than Tilda Swinton!

And last but certainly not least, The Lonely City 10th Anniversary Edition will be launched at a special event at the Union Chapel on 23 June, where Olivia will be in conversation with Charlie Porter, in collaboration with Intelligence Squared.

This will be the first Lonely City event Olivia has done in many years and it will not be repeated! Olivia and Charlie will be talking about Wojnarowicz, art as solace, solidarity as cure, creativity as resistance, Aids, technology, fascism, and much more. Book your tickets here.

The Lonely City is a celebration of a shared state, intrinsic to the very act of being alive. It is both a personal quest to master the art of being alone, and an investigation by way of art into what causes loneliness and how it can be resisted and redeemed.

Praise for The Lonely City:

“Wonderful and necessary” – Anne Enright

“Constantly surprising” – Guardian

“Stunning” – Deborah Levy

“Compulsively fascinating” – New Statesman

“Daring and seductive” – The New York Times