A short history of solitude

A new three-part series for BBC Radio 4 exploring the surprising and emotional history of solitude across the centuries starts today. The series is presented by Professor Thomas Dixon of the Centre for the History of the Emotions and was made during the lockdown of Spring and Summer 2020. The series consultant was Professor Barbara Taylor, who leads the QMUL Pathologies of Solitude project. Other contributors include a wide range of artists and academics with particular interests in varieties of solitary life and experience, from medieval monks and anchorites, to walkers, anglers, and poets, and finally to those experiencing confinement against their will.