The drawbacks—and benefits—of solitude
Three books examine the perils and pleasures of being alone
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, that great coiner, is given credit for the word “lonely”. Coriolanus, one of his heroes, compares going into exile to a “lonely dragon” retreating to his lair. The Roman general was talking about a physical state: someone who was lonely was simply alone.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “All by myself”
Culture April 13th 2024
- Americans are turning to stories of civil war, real and imagined
- How to protect an endangered language
- An enthralling account of Captain Cook’s final, fatal voyage
- Adelle Waldman’s new novel follows workers in a big-box store
- Flat whites are Australia’s greatest culinary export
- The drawbacks—and benefits—of solitude
From the April 13th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Pep Guardiola, football’s greatest coach, is in a bind
A serial winner is learning how to lose
The Economist’s word of the year for 2024
The Greeks knew how to talk about politics and power
What do feta, cucumbers and cottage cheese have in common?
Social media and the internet are changing how people cook and relate to food
Germany’s former chancellor sets out to restore her reputation
But her new memoir is unlikely to change her critics’ minds
The best books of 2024, as chosen by The Economist
Readers will never think the same way again about games, horses and spies
What to read to understand Elon Musk
The world’s richest man was shaped by science fiction