Review
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"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."--Suzi Feay, Financial Times
"A triptych of compact, heartfelt essays on discovery, solitude
and writing."--Darragh McManus, Irish Independent
"By turns allegorical, metaphysical, fictional and factual,
Devotion shows rather than tells what it means to give a life to
writing. A master of poetic innovation, Smith takes her style to
the next level in this slim volume."--Katherine Cooper,
Hyperic
"Smith, a contemplative writer of gratitude and reverence, . . .
deepens her inquiry into the nature of inspiration in this
slender, trenchant volume. . . . Gracefully improvisational, as
always, Smith offers an unusually poetic, mystical, and
transfixing perspective on the mystery of literary
creation."--Donna Seaman, Booklist
"The lesson is obvious: that a writer draws on every detail of
his or her life for the al, often unconscious process of
creation. But seeing the process in action is a profound
experience. Smith's writing in the essays is as beautifully
structured as her poetry."--Publishers Weekly
"Smith is telling it her way, but also in the ancient way. It's
recognizable to readers for its mythic proportion, accessible to
all kinds of people for its brevity and intensity--and yet, it's
still distinctly Patti Smith."--Megan Volpert, PopMatters
"This is what is so astonishing about [Smith's] career and what
motivates Devotion -- the way that, as she has gotten older,
Smith's vision has expanded, framing her self-awareness not as
self-absorption but rather a deep dive into everything, the
exhilaration and the terror and the transcendence that we all
share."--David Ulin, Barnes & Noble Review
"A creative, graceful and uncommonly beautiful little book about
writing from the poet and singer who has, in maturity, become an
even richer and more complex artist than she was at her greatest
fame. She has become one of the most compelling writers of prose
that we have and one of the most arresting about artists and
other writers. Follow her here as she deals with Camus, Nabokov,
Mishima, Genet, Simone Weil, and Patrick Modiano. Originally
delivered as a series of lectures at Yale and artfully
illustrated for this edition, this, in book form, is as exquisite
as anything published in this season. In her late-life self
discovery as a prose master, Patti Smith may have found yet
another masterful voice."--Jeff Simon, Buffalo News
"Packed with enough passion and contagious energy to move readers
to tune into their own inspirations and--whatever their
medium--get to work."--Kelsey J. Waite, AV Club
"In Devotion, [Smith] starkly shares and uncovers, through a
spare, haunting prose, the reasons she is compelled to write; so
evocative is Smith's writing that we're compelled to read it as
her voices transfixes us with its bell-like clarity and ringing
passion."--Henry Carrigan, No Depression: The Journal of Roots
Music
"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."--Brian
McCollum, Detroit Free Press
"This is what Smith does to her devoted readers -- she provokes
memory, isolation, and the desire to make something out of the
mundane. . . . Devotion, though a departure from her previous
books, does not deviate from Smith's remarkable gift."--Jerilyn
Jordan, Detroit Metro Times
"Through her lyrical and mystical style, Smith gracefully shares
her perspective on the mystery of literary creation."--New York
Spaces
About the Author
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Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist. Her
memoir Just Kids received a National Book Award, and her recent
book M Train is a critically accled New York Times
best-seller. Smith was awarded the prestigious title of
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic, and in
2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smith
lives in New York City.