The Paradox of Being Alone

This week's guest is Adam Gopnik, a long-standing staff writer at the New Yorker, and the award-winning author of a frankly intimidating number of books, most recently The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery, which explores the process of learning a new skill. And then there was his recent Hollywood debut – those who’ve seen Oscar-winning film Tar might have also spotted Adam playing himself, as an interviewer, alongside Cate Blanchett in the film’s opening scene. Today, we’re talking about solitude – and how it’s played out in Adam’s writing career and life more broadly. As a true New Yorker, Adam tells me how his version of alone time manages to integrate a great deal of companionship too, from his love of working amid the hustle & bustle of others in his office days to the more collaborative strands of his career, including writing for musical theatre. Alone time, for Adam, is best spent pacing around a crowded city listening to what he still still refers to as a walkman – alone in a crowd. He also shares with me how his childhood, growing up as one of six in a crowded noisy house, has shaped his love of being around others in modern life. Finally, we discuss the beauty of solitude as depicted by the art of Edward Hopper – which Adam and I share a love for.

We discuss:

• How Adam’s upbringing primed him to feel most comfortable around the noise of others [4:34]
• His love of walking alone around a city [7:08]
• Adam’s lifelong struggle with insomnia – and how he treats it [10:38]
• Writing routines, and approaching writing like a ‘physical challenge’ [16:30]
• Edward Hopper’s depiction of solitude [26:04]
• The art of ‘social solitude’ in New York [31:34]

References from our conversation:

• Adam Gopnik's 'walkman' playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1oe0WuKABmBtL576sGgW64?si=c45849d6d4a94cef
• The Edward Hopper exhibition at The Whitney, New York
• ‘What sin to me unknown dipp’d in ink’, from Alexander Pope’s Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot
• The Monologue Art Museum

You can purchase all of Adam Gopnik’s books, including The Real Work, at adamgopnik.com/books.

Subscribe to my weekly email newsletter at francescaspecter.substack.com to follow her personal writing plus podcast bonus content. You can also order my book, Alonement: How To Be Alone and Absolutely Own It, based on this podcast, from Amazon,  Waterstones and Bookshop.org. Thank you so much to WestLab for sponsoring this season Visit westlabsalts.co.uk/products/dead-sea-salt and quote the code ALONEMENT15 for 15% off when you spend £10 or more, excludes subscriptions, T&Cs apply. Code expires 31st August 2023.

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