| The Death of the Clinic chronicles the development of five experimental medical establishments. These include a post Second World War institute of psychiatry and medical philosophy in a French château; a feminist health centre born from the women’s liberation movement in Geneva; and a grassroots research initiative featuring clinical trials run by and for people with AIDS in 1980s–90s New York.
The book sets out, in a very personal way, to honour the individuals who dared to reimagine how humans might care for one another. Benoît also recounts his own related experiences and describes the huge influence of his mother, a dedicated health worker, with the book featuring several moving ‘epistles’ written directly to her.
We can’t wait to hear from Benoît and we expect tickets to go swiftly for this event, so don’t wait too long before booking!
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‘Divergent and elaborate in the pursuit of its enthusiasms, balancing the personal and the intellectual, The Death of the Clinic is a book of hope and affirmation as well as of pain and grief.’ – Gavin Francis, author of The Unfragile Mind
‘Intimate and erudite, breathtaking in its historical analysis and philosophical range, The Death of the Clinic illuminates bold experiments in non-hierarchical medicine, offering expansive possibilities for solidarity, self-determination and communal care.’ – Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, author of Terry Dactyl
‘The Death of the Clinic is an inspiring, essential book.’ – Chris Kraus, author of The Four Spent the Day Together
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Benoît Loiseau is a Belgian-born, Franco-British writer, critic and scholar based in Brooklyn and Paris. A founding editor of queer anthology The BitterSweet Review, he has written for ArtReview, frieze, The Guardian, The New York Times and The White Review. He read philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure (PSL) and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in French and Comparative Literature at New York University and Paris 8 University.
Claire Carroll is a writer, editor and academic researcher whose writing has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and published in journals and anthologies including The Stinging Fly, The London Magazine, Prototype and Best of British Short Stories. Her debut collection of short stories, The Unreliable Nature Writer, was released in 2024 with Scratch Books. Her latest publication, TREATMENT, a book-length poem co-authored with Andrew Hykel Mears, was released in September 2026 with Dialect Press. She is currently editor of short fiction for Ambient Receiver Journal.
Benoît Loiseau Photo credit: Gioncarlo Valentine |
