A global pandemic is on the rise, wider in range than almost any other the world has seen. Yet, there is nothing to look at under the microscope, nothing to inoculate against, despite several countries, like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany, creating positions of power to help stem this disease, this ailment from which humans have suffered in the past and will again in the future. That disease is loneliness. Richard Deming (Touch of Evil), in his thoughtful book This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts, and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us About Creativity, examines six artists and thinkers from the 20th century, moving deftly from grand to humble ideas on how to deal with one of humanity's colossal challenges: loneliness.
Despite being something that all humans have dealt with, loneliness "always feels personal," Deming writes, and this is precisely why he wants to shine a light on humanity's darkest idea: the one that says people are alone. He beautifully illustrates how readers can take this feeling of desperation and cultivate sensitivity and acknowledgment, and how they can begin to carve out their own self-worth and understanding of the world around and in them. Deming focuses on six creators--Melanie Klein, Zora Neale Hurston, Walter Benjamin, Walker Evans, Egon Schiele, and Rod Serling--and illustrates how these great minds grappled with loneliness and how they used this particularly vulnerable feeling to heighten their awareness and to generate a promise for brighter futures in the dark. Deming's book lives up to its name: its construction, its explorations, and its easy-to-read writing style are all exquisite. --Dominic Charles Howarth, book manager, Book + Bottle