Once celibacy was for many a "waiting room," only old virgins and inveterate bachelors lingered in it, they were pitied, they were laughed at. Now no one is ashamed of celibacy, the ranks of bachelors are constantly replenished with those who have divorced. The famous Belgian historian Jean-Claude Bologne talks about the evolution of the concept of celibacy and attitudes towards it, introduces readers to the images and types of Western bachelors that existed from ancient times to the present day.