Devotion

The national bestseller by renowned artist and author Patti Smith explores the nature of creative invention. A work of creative genius may seem like magic – its source remains a mystery, its impact unexpectedly moving. How does an artist manage to achieve such a feat and connect deeply with an audience they have never met? In this groundbreaking book, one of our culture's most beloved artists offers a detailed account of her own creative process, her inspirations, and unexpected connections.

Patti Smith initially tells an original and artfully crafted story of obsession – a young girl who lives for her art, a possessive collector relentlessly pursuing his goal, a relationship forged from both a base and a sublime need. 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 spirits of Mishima, Nabokov, and Genet linger. Smith finds the grave of Simone Weil in a lonely cemetery, hours from London, and weaves through the nameless Parisian streets of Patrick Modiano's novels. Whether writing in a café or on a train, Smith generously opens her notebooks, giving us a glimpse into the alchemy of her art and craft in this captivating and original book about writing.

The "Why I Write" series is based on the Windham-Campbell Lectures, held annually to celebrate the awarding of the Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes at Yale University.