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Diaries are one of our oldest literary traditions, conjuring questions of private confessions and public display. In this series of essays we explore five diarists of the past through the lens of the present.

In these extraordinary times, when the shift between the domestic and the out-of-reach wider world is ever more pronounced, Radio 3 has commissioned five Essays on the theme of diaries – five new diaries written during the unprecedented period of recent weeks, reflecting on the present moment and reaching out to another historical literary diarist for aid and inspiration.

2. AL Kennedy: Hope On, Hope Ever

The fortitude and humanity in the diaries of Antarctic explorer Edward Wilson are a counterpoint and inspiration to AL Kennedy in her days denied human contact and open space.