A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria author in conversation

Writer and podcaster Caroline Crampton joins us…. 

Caroline Crampton is the author of The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary. Her award-winning podcast, Shedunnit, is distributed by BBC Sounds. Her journalism has appeared in The New Statesman, The Times and the Guardian. An experienced broadcaster, she has appeared on BBC Two, Sky News, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4. She lives in Merseyside.  

At this year’s Literary Festival, Caroline will discuss A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria. In this moving account of what it means to live with this invisible, elusive and increasingly widespread condition, Crampton tells the story of hypochondria, from the age of Hippocrates to the wellness industry today, covering the successive generations of doctors positing new theories and the quacks selling spurious cure-alls to the desperate. We meet those who have suffered with conditions both real and imagined, including Moliere, Darwin, Woolf, Freud, Larkin, and Proust. Crampton also examines the gendered nature of the medical response, the financial and social factors at play, and the ways in which modern technology simultaneously feeds our fears and holds out the promise of relief. Informed by Crampton’s own experience of surviving a life-threatening disease only to find herself beset by almost constant anxiety about her health, A Body Made of Glass explores the landscape of an illness, which could be physical, or psychological, or both. 

Click here to book a festival pass

All passes will include reserved seating in the lecture theatre, plus a host of other exclusive VIP benefits. Please note, all types of festival passes do not include the launch event on Friday 4th October.

There are a number of FREE University of Liverpool student tickets at all festival events. Students who sign up to receive their free ticket will need to show their student ID when they arrive at the venue.

We are committed to maintaining your privacy and you can view our data protection policy and privacy statements online. Data protection policy Corporate Events Privacy Notice

Host or Publisher Liverpool Literary Festival