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Title details for This Exquisite Loneliness by Richard Deming - Available

This Exquisite Loneliness

What Loners, Outcasts, and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us About Creativity

by Richard Deming
Richard Deming
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

"...Rich and sensitive." —The Wall Street Journal
“Loneliness is everywhere these days. But this book will chase some of it away, and maybe replace it with connection.” —Patton Oswalt, Emmy and Grammy winning comic
A examination of the life and work of six brilliant minds of the twentieth century, intent on answering the question “What can be done not despite but because of loneliness?”
At an unprecedented rate, loneliness is moving around the globe—from self-isolating technology and political division to community decay and social fragmentation—and yet it is not a feeling to which we readily admit. It is stigmatized, freighted with shame and fear, and easy to dismiss as mere emotional neediness. But what if instead of shying away from loneliness, we embraced it as something we can learn from and as something that will draw us closer to one another?
In This Exquisite Loneliness, Richard Deming turns an eye toward that unwelcome feeling, both in his own experiences and the lives of six groundbreaking figures, to find the context of loneliness and to see what some people have done to navigate this profound sense of discomfort. Within the back stories to Melanie Klein’s contributions to psychoanalysis, Zora Neale Hurston’s literary and ethnographic writing, the philosophical essays of Walter Benjamin, Walker Evans’s photography of urban alienation, Egon Schiele’s revolutionary artwork and Rod Serling’s uncanny narratives in The Twilight Zone, Deming explores how loneliness has served as fuel for an intense creative desire that has forged some of the most original and innovative art and writing of the twentieth century.
This singular meditation on loneliness reveals how we might transform the pain of emotional isolation and become more connected to others and more at home with our often unquiet selves.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 3, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593789650
      • File size: 264492 KB
      • Duration: 09:11:01

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 28, 2023
      In these inspired meditations, Deming (Art of the Ordinary), a poet and the director of creative writing at Yale University, ruminates on how loneliness influences creativity. “I believe we must reinvent loneliness in order to survive it,” he writes, exploring how photographer Walker Evans, novelist Zora Neale Hurston, psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, painter Egon Schiele, and Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling “forged insights and perspectives in the cold fires of loneliness.” Klein drew from her grief over the childhood deaths of her sister and brother when she theorized in “On the Sense of Loneliness,” an essay written in her final years, that the feeling is an escapable constant throughout life sometimes made more acute by the early loss of a parent or sibling. Deming’s penetrating analysis illustrates how artists’ personal lives inform their art, as when he suggests Serling, who struggled with feelings of isolation after moving to Hollywood, made television out of a desire to forge connections with viewers and help them, and himself, feel less alone. The lucid prose is matched by the depth of insight: “Art in general felt, feels, to me like evidence of other people’s searching for their own meaningfulness, as if they were calling over from their own lost valleys.” Profound and often achingly beautiful, this makes for great company.

    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      In this self-narrated book, Deming (director, creative writing program, Yale; Art of the Ordinary) meditates on the nature and power of loneliness. Deming notes that loneliness is considered a pervasive, even universal affliction, especially in modern times. However, he argues that loneliness is not new. It has long been present, and indeed, it can serve as a powerful catalyst for creativity, art, and growth. Deming offers a heartfelt and poetic narration of his own loneliness, brought on by his feelings of not belonging. Additionally, he dwells upon the loneliness felt by six brilliant 20th-century individuals, including psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, writer Zora Neale Hurston, photographer Walker Evans, and Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. Deming's heartfelt narration enhances his beautiful book, allowing him to precisely convey the right emotions and tell the story as it was intended to be heard. His research and commitment to the topic are evident as he thoroughly outlines the careers and lives of the figures he highlights. VERDICT A timely and sincere exploration of loneliness. Though it touches on occasionally heavy topics, this insightful book should resonate broadly.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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