A book for our times: a moving meditation on the tension between loneliness and freedom, individualism and love. At no time before have so many people lived alone, and never has loneliness been so widely or keenly felt. Why, in a society of individualists, is living alone perceived as a shameful failure? And can we ever be happy on our own? Drawing on personal experience, as well as philosophy and sociology, Daniel Schreiber explores the tension between the desire for solitude and freedom, and the desire for companionship, intimacy, and love. Along the way he illuminates the role that friendships play in our lives—can they be a response to the loss of meaning in a world in crisis? A profoundly enlightening book on how we want to live,
Alonespent almost a year on Germany’s bestseller list.
Daniel Schreiberis the author of
Susan Sontag, the first complete biography of the intellectual icon, as well as the highly praised and bestselling German-language literary essays
Nüchternand
Zuhause. He lives in Berlin.
Ben Fergussonis an award-winning writer and translator. He is the author of
Tales from the Fatherlandand
An Honest Man.
Living Alone
The Kindness of Strangers
Conversations with Friends
Never So Lonely
Ambiguous Losses
Days in Famara
Bodywork
Farewells
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
“Schreiber’s arguments and personal reflections beautifully capture our emotional lives; they manage to be both honest and inspiring.”
"Schreiber’sAlone: Reflections on Solitary Livingwas a surprise bestseller in Germany when it was first published in 2021, now translated into English by Ben Fergusson. In it, Schreiber eloquently digs in to the taboo subjects of loneliness and shame. It has to be said thatAloneis not a self-help book; it’s an existential book, and allC¯
![Alone: Reflections on Solitary Living [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/5/6/2/2_7052164.jpg "Alone: Reflections on Solitary Living [Hardcover]")