Maggie Nelson: The Many Meanings of Freedom

Named by Olivia Laing as ‘among the sharpest and most supple thinkers of her generation,’ Maggie Nelson is a hugely influential critical theorist whose writing defies genre. She has written art criticism, memoir, poetry and scholarship, and gained a cult following for works including The Argonauts and Bluets. Her writing draws on a vast range of material, from popular culture to the casual exchanges in our daily lives. Her latest book, On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, was selected by the Guardian as one of their Books of 2021. In it, she turns her attention to how we think, experience, and talk about freedom, examining the notion through art, sex, drugs and climate. In this event, filmed live at the 2021 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Nelson joins us remotely to discuss the concept of freedom and what it can mean in rapidly changing, challenging times.