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Strangers and Intimates

The Rise and Fall of Private Life

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Strangers and Intimates

Written by: Tiffany Jenkins
Narrated by: Tiffany Jenkins
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About this listen

Read by the author, Tiffany Jenkins

'Brilliantly original . . . endlessly fascinating and full of surprises' – Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen

'It is refreshing - and empowering - to read such a nuanced, thoughtful history of this slippery concept' – Kate Fox, author of Watching the English

A Financial Times 'What to read in 2025' Book

From ancient times to our digital present, Strangers and Intimates traces the dramatic emergence of private life, and argues that it is now in mortal danger.

In this sweeping history, acclaimed cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins takes readers on an epic journey, from the strict separations of public and private in ancient Athens to the moral rigidity of the Victorian home, and from the feminists of the 1970s who declared that ‘the personal is political’ to the boundary-blurring demands of our digital age.

Strangers and Intimates is both a celebration of the private realm and a warning: as social media, surveillance and the expectations of constant openness reshape our lives, Jenkins asks a timely question: can private life survive the demands of the twenty-first century?

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What the critics say

Compelling . . . This is the sort of history book that makes you look at all history anew'
Jenkins's history of private life is more urgent than ever . . . Lucid and elegant
A brilliantly original line of investigation, taking the reader on an epic journey through the ages . . . endlessly fascinating and full of surprises (Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen)
Well written and always provocative (David Aaronovitch)
Amidst all the current narrow technological determinism, it is refreshing - and empowering - to read such a nuanced, thoughtful history of this slippery concept (Kate Fox, author of Watching the English)
From Tudor Treason Trials to Monica Lewinsky and beyond, this book brilliantly deploys the author's deep knowledge of literature, political ideas, as well as the history of law and of leisure . . . a tour de force (David Abulafia, author of The Boundless Sea)
A magisterial intellectual history of an important and evolving concept . . . timely and compelling.
From Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell to Jennicam, Big Brother and Monica Lewinsky . . . one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read in years (Adrian Tinniswood, author of The Power and the Glory)
An impassioned argument . . . Jenkins deploys an array of lively anecdotes to make her case. [Strangers and Intimates] is a far-reaching - occasionally dizzying - book
Essential reading for all those seeking to understand the dynamics of the current privacy crisis, and why it matters that solutions are found (David Vincent, author of A History of Solitude)
A highly engaging read, timely, and impressively broad in its scope
A stimulating history
Jenkins delivers a substantial but still nimble exploration of the modern notion of 'private life' . . . An eye-opening study of the value of keeping some things unseen
Superb . . . Every page offers fresh revelations . . . Sharp, insightful analysis.
A fascinating look at how thinking about privacy has evolved over time. One of those rare works that changes how you see the world, with an insight on every page
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