NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train , a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year. Following a run of concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland as a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the year of the monkey." For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. Smith melds the Western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.
Réédition en format broché pour ce livre profondément émouvant et brillamment idiosyncrasique de l'autrice lauréate du Prix National du Livre avec Just Kids and M Train, qui présente plus de 365 images et réflexions qui illustrent l'esthétique singulière de Patti Smith - inspirée de son Instagram très populaire. En 2018, sans plan ni agenda pour la suite, Patti Smith a posté sa première photo sur Instagram : sa main avec le simple message « Bonjour tout le monde! » Connue pour tourner avec sa bien-aimée Land Camera 250, Smith a commencé à publier des images de son téléphone, y compris des portraits de ses enfants, de son radiateur, de ses bottes et de son chat abyssinien, le Caire. Les adeptes ont ressenti une affinité immédiate avec ces fenêtres miniatures dans le monde de Smith, des photos de son café quotidien, les livres qu'elle lit, les tombes de héros bien-aimés - William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Simone Weil, Albert Camus. Au fil du temps, une histoire cohérente d'une vie consacrée à l'art a pris forme, et plus d'un million d'adeptes ont répondu à l'esthétique unique de Smith dans des images qui illustrent ses passions, ses dévotions, ses obsessions et ses caprices. Les originaux de ce livre sont des photographies vintage : perles d'anniversaire, porte-clés d'une mère et guitare mosrite d'un mari. Ici, aussi, sont des photos des archives de Smith de la vie sur et hors de la route, gares, cafés obscurs, un cahier toujours à proximité. Dans des notes quotidiennes à la fois vastes et intimes, Mme Smith partage des dépêches de ses voyages à travers le monde. Avec plus de 365 photographies qui vous emmènent à travers une seule année, A Book of Days est une nouvelle façon de découvrir l'esprit expansif du poète, écrivain et interprète visionnaire. Plein d'espoir, élégiaque, ludique - et complété par une introduction de Smith qui explore son processus documentaire - A Book of Days est une offre intemporelle pour une période profondément incertaine, une carte inspirante de la vie d'un artiste.
From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train , a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year. Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs--including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the Cheshire Cat. In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the Year of the Monkey." For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, tracking thoughts, writing--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.
