The Long Loneliness is the autobiography of noted social activist and radical figure in Catholicism in America, Dorothy Day (1897-1980). Published in 1952, the autobiography covers much of the first half of the 20th century and traces Day’s eventful life from early childhood through her conversions which had previously been covered in fictional form in The Eleventh Virgin (1924) and From Union Square to Rome (1938).
The Long Loneliness is a title that bears direct thematic bearing on Day’s evolution as it becomes a metaphor for the empty solitude of a lifelong search for her place in a community of others. Day’s early life was one of Episcopalian humanism for the most part infused with a strong sensitivity to the plight of the less fortunate forged by a family essentially disconnected from organized religious faith. Over the course of a career in which this humanism drove her toward social work as a means of locating that sense of community, the central year becomes 1933 in which she founded the Catholic Worker movement after having converted to Catholicism.
From that year to the year of publication, Day would become one of the most essential figures in the evolution of the Catholic Church in America as she steadfastly refused to eschew her commitment to radical belief and action as the key to progressive change. Along the way, Day also touches upon personal issues such as her own sexuality as well as outlining a dogma that accuses modern-day Christianity of failing to follow many of the precepts of Jesus upon which it is supposedly based.
The Long Loneliness is essentially divided into two equal parts. The first covers Day’s life before her conversion to Catholicism and the second part details her life following that conversion. In addition, the tome includes a short opening section and a brief conclusion which focuses primarily on her devotion to finding community through opening oneself to discovering ways in which to love others.
