The Long Loneliness

The compelling autobiography of Dorothy Day, a remarkable Catholic woman and social activist sainted by many, who championed the rights of the poor in America’s inner cities.

When Dorothy Day died in 1980, the New York Times eulogized her as “a nonviolent social radical of luminous personality . . . founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and leader for more than fifty years in numerous battles of social justice.” Here, in her own words, this remarkable woman tells of her early life as a young journalist in the crucible of Greenwich Village political and literary thought in the 1920s, to her momentous conversion to Catholicism that meant the end of a Bohemian lifestyle and common-law marriage.

The Long Loneliness chronicles Dorothy Day’s lifelong association with Peter Maurin and the genesis of the Catholic Worker Movement. Unstinting in her commitment to peace, nonviolence, racial justice, and the cause of the poor and the outcast, this powerful memoir shows how she became an inspiration to such activists as Thomas Merton, Michael Harrington, Daniel Berrigan, Cesar Chavez, and countless others.

This edition of The Long Loneliness begins with an eloquent introduction by Robert Coles, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and longtime friend, admirer, and biographer of Dorothy Day.

How did a Greenwich Village bohemian become one of the most influential American Catholic figures of the twentieth century?

A Bohemian Soul: Experience the radical literary and political scene of 1920s Greenwich Village, where a young journalist searches for meaning among the artists and activists of her generation. A Profound Spiritual Journey: Follow Dorothy Day’s momentous conversion to Catholicism—a decision that would redefine her life and set her on a new path of service and faith. The Catholic Worker Movement: Discover the origins of the Catholic Worker Movement, co-founded with the visionary Peter Maurin, and its mission of unstinting commitment to peace, nonviolence, and the poor. A Legacy of Social Justice: Understand the powerful impact of a woman who inspired generations of activists, from Thomas Merton to Cesar Chavez, through her unwavering dedication to the outcast and marginalized.