

Diaries
6 snips Jan 24, 2025
Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum and founder of the Great Diary Project, joins novelist and historian Sophie Coulombeau, political journalist Michael Crick, and writer Oliver Burkeman to explore the multifaceted world of diary writing. They discuss the evolution of diaries from Babylon to modern times, emphasizing their emotional significance and historical value. With insights on self-reflection, privacy, and storytelling in the digital age, the conversation highlights how diaries shape personal identity and document broader histories.
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Crick's Diary Journey
- Michael Crick started his diary at eight years old, initially filling it with headlines from The Guardian.
- In 1971, he began a daily diary, maintaining it since, except for a brief gap in 1979 due to his busy schedule.
Burkeman's Morning Pages
- Oliver Burkeman uses morning pages, filling notebooks with stream-of-consciousness writing. This is his way of processing and is more focused on the current internal thoughts.
Finkel's Outsider Perspective
- Irving Finkel has never kept a diary, finding it difficult to come up with content. He sees this lack of personal experience as advantageous for his broader study of diaries.