No one escapes loneliness. There is forced solitude (mourning, divorce, celibacy, etc.), chosen solitude (contemplative life, need for freedom, introspection, etc.) and, now, sad solitude, resulting from the false sociability of social networks. Sabine Bonnet-Melchior, a historian who worked at the Collège de France alongside professors Jean Delumeau and Daniel Roche, publishes
History of Solitude. From Hermit to Celibate
(PUF).
LE FIGARO. - Why were you interested in solitude?
SABINE MELCHIOR-BONNET. -
My answer is prosaic. I have always loved working in libraries, whether it was the Bibliothèque nationale or that of the Sorbonne, and the immersion among studious readers encouraged me. With Covid and libraries closed, I found myself alone with my books!
How to define loneliness?
There are several kinds of loneliness. There is solitude suffered and solitude chosen; the first is painful and the second...
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