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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“There is reading done for entertainment and there is reading done for art; For the magical way that authors can craft words into a sentence and that sentence sends your brain into a technicolor haze; A closed-eye sigh knowing that the author has bewitched you for a moment and the act of reading becomes almost meditative. Patti Smith has this effect on me with whatever she writes...In Devotion, Patti Smith examines the act of writing as an act of devotion...Patti makes me want to write; to stroll through old French cemeteries looking for the names of people I admire. If you, like me, have read her and love her, or if you are looking to read her work, I would suggest her work on audio. Pairing the particular cadence of her slight accent, the way she says "pillah" instead of pillow, "burries" instead of berries only adds magic to her words. Do not operate machinery or read while under the influence. She will leave you drunk on words and isn't that just a beautiful thing?”
— Chelsea • McLean & Eakin Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“I could hear Smith's unique voice throughout, and for that I was grateful. I bought this at The Strand bookstore where Smith worked in her youth, so I felt a magical power within the slim volume. Why does Smith write...'Because we cannot simply live.'”
— Andrea • Bookstore1Sarasota
From the renowned artist and author Patti Smith, an inspired exploration of the nature of creative invention.
A work of creative brilliance may seem like magic—its source a mystery, its impact unexpectedly stirring. How does an artist accomplish such an achievement, connecting deeply with an audience never met? In this groundbreaking book, one of our culture’s beloved artists offers a detailed account of her own creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections.
Patti Smith first presents an original and beautifully crafted tale of obsession—a young skater who lives for her art, a possessive collector who ruthlessly seeks his prize, a relationship forged of need both craven and exalted. She then takes us on a second journey, exploring the sources of her story. We travel through the South of France to Camus’ house, and visit the garden of the great publisher Gallimard where the ghosts of Mishima, Nabokov, and Genet mingle. Smith tracks down Simone Weil’s grave in a lonely cemetery, hours from London, and winds through the nameless Paris streets of Patrick Modiano’s novels. Whether writing in a café or a train, Smith generously opens her notebooks and lets us glimpse the alchemy of her art and craft in this arresting and original book on writing.
The Why I Write series is based on the Windham-Campbell Lectures, delivered annually to commemorate the awarding of the Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes at Yale University.
Patti Smith is a performer, visual artist, and author of numerous books. Her memoir Just Kids received a National Book Award, and her book M Train is a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller. She was awarded the prestigious title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. Her seminal album Horses has been hailed as one of the top one hundred albums of all time, and in 2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Patti Smith is a performer, visual artist, and author of numerous books. Her memoir Just Kids received a National Book Award, and her book M Train is a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller. She was awarded the prestigious title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. Her seminal album Horses has been hailed as one of the top one hundred albums of all time, and in 2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Reviews
“Patti Smith makes a story of her process of creation…Her narration creates the illusion of being in the same room with her. We are treated to the best kind of lecture, one given by a generous intellectual mind. She is warm, precise, and measured as she describes struggling with the mundane details of everyday life in order to give rein to the impulse to create.”
"Devotion is short enough to devour at one enjoyable sitting and thought-provoking enough to deserve re-reading…It’s a privilege to spend any time with Patti Smith, however brief.”
“A triptych of compact, heartfelt essays on discovery, solitude, and writing.”
“An enchanting peek into the mysterious ways of creativity, as Smith immerses in her beloved French literary classics and cites the everyday encounters that can spark inspiration.”
“Packed with enough passion and contagious energy to move readers to tune into their own inspirations and—whatever their medium—get to work.”
“Smith’s writing in the essays is as beautifully structured as her poetry.”
“Gracefully improvisational, as always, Smith offers an unusually poetic, mystical, and transfixing perspective on the mystery of literary creation.”
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