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Devotion Hardcover – Illustrated, Sept. 12 2017

by Patti Smith (Author)

4.6 699 ratings

Part of: Why I Write (3 books)

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The National Book Award–winning author of Year of the Monkey, Just Kids, and M Train offers a rare, intimate account of her own creative process

“Devotion is short enough to devour at one enjoyable sitting and thought-provoking enough to deserve re-reading.”—Suzi Feay, Financial Times

“Devotion shows rather than tells what it means to give a life to writing.”—Katherine Cooper, Hyperallergic

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, a National Book Award–winning author, 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’s 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 on a train, Smith generously opens her notebooks and lets us glimpse the alchemy of her art and craft in this arresting and original book.

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.

Part of series

Why I Write
Print length

112 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

Sept. 12 2017
Dimensions

18.03 x 12.45 x 1.78 cm
ISBN-10

0274755513
ISBN-13

978-0274755516
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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, Hyperallergic

“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 alchemical, 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

Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist. Her memoir Just Kids received a National Book Award, and her book M Train is a critically acclaimed 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.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0300218621
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Illustrated edition (Sept. 12 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0274755513
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0274755516
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 200 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.03 x 12.45 x 1.78 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #356,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #175 in Women Writers & Women's Writing
- #223 in Women Writers & Feminist Theory (Books)
- #1,431 in Author Biographies (Books)

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4.6 699 ratings

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Patti Smith

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Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist. She gained recognition in the 1970s for her revolutionary merging of poetry and rock. She has released twelve albums, including Horses, which has been hailed as one of the top one hundred debut albums of all time by Rolling Stone.

Smith had her first exhibit of drawings at the Gotham Book Mart in 1973 and has been represented by the Robert Miller Gallery since 1978. Her books include Just Kids, winner of the National Book Award in 2010, Wītt, Babel, Woolgathering, The Coral Sea, and Auguries of Innocence.

In 2005, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Smith the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, the highest honor given to an artist by the French Republic. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 1980, she married the musician Fred Sonic Smith in Detroit. They had a son, Jackson, and a daughter, Jesse. Smith resides in New York City.

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M K

Another great offering from Patti

Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2022

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Loved this, so good. 10/10 recommend for Patti fans, or any fans of beatnik era/rock n roll art scenes. Quick read, very good !

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Amazon Customer

A little gem of a book

Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2022

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I received my purchase within days of ordering, so great service. The book was in pristine condition and I am presently reading it and loving it. It is my second book by this writer, Patti Smith, and I shall undoubtedly research her other books.

Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2018

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Wonderfully written. Bought many copies for friends. I needed to buy the Hardcover. It is a little Treasure on my bookshelf.
Along with M-Train, I carry both when i might get stuck somewhere and want a quick little read.

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Dr. George Pollard

Patti Smith gives us a wonderful book. Thanks so much

Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2017

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Remarkable little book. Remarkably imaged and well written; well-edited, too. Patti Smith gives us a wonderful book. Thanks so much. dgp

Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2019

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Toujours enchantée de lire Patti Smith !!

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Dany Lyne

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2018

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Devoured it! SUPERB! Evocative, honest, inspiring!

One person found this helpful

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Andrea S.

Pattis Smith is a poetic GENIUS, a true ARTIST - I thank God for her!

Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

I have many Patti Smith books in my collection and each one is a MASTERPIECE. Devotion is no exception. The level of admiration and respect I have for this woman, this great artist, is immeasurable. Her talent, her intelligence, her warmth , her beauty, her heart of gold...Patti Smith, I LOVE YOU. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for the gifts you have given all of us by sharing yourself with us over the years. As an artist myself, I only wish I can one day possess some of your qualities. You are my inspiration, my artistic compass. You give me hope. Bless you Patti Smith.

Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2021

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VG patti as always makes you think/feel love/hate.

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Chaitanya Sethi

Patti answers why she writes; we love it

Reviewed in India on July 12, 2022

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It's the age-old question - why do people write? What moves them enough to put to paper fragments of thought floating on drawstring bridges? Why go through all that effort to speak across time; to record the mundane and sublime; the ordinary and exceptional; fact or fantasy?

This short book is Patti's answer, except, she says that the 'Why' and 'How' are intertwined. And she lets us in on the How of her creative spirit. This act is akin to a magician revealing her tricks but somehow enhancing the magic. You see the creative cogs and wheels turn, and shards of life coalesce into art.

The first section deals with her journal. In line with 'M Train' and 'Year of the Monkey', we follow Patti through her days, her coffee cups, a trip to Paris, and what occupies her mind wherein. The second section is a story that she wrote in a train, synthesizing elements from the journal into the storytelling, meshing life an art into a homogeneous fabric. The final section is a visit to Camus's house where he used to retreat to write.

With Patti, I always struggle to sell what entices me about her writing. I can't break it into plot or structure or flow. It's the whole that exceeds the sum of its parts. The turns of phrases that are distinctly hers. That desire to devote oneself to art, irrespective of outcome. The itch to create.

Reading Camus's incomplete draft of 'Le Premier Homme', Patti experiences a restlessness; to run up the stairs and fling open her diary and mind. She says, "That is the decisive power of a singular work: a call to action. And I, time and again, am overcome with the hubris to believe I can answer the call."

Dorian Gray

Patti Smith : the Well of Devotion that is the Female Heart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2020

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Patti Smith - the Bad Girl of Rock who became its High Priestess - has always been an accomplished writer , producing as many poems as songs, as many books as albums.

In Devotion she tries to answer the question : why do I write ?

And the answer is given in a single sentence . Made up of only 5 words. Its the last sentence of the book so I wont give it away !

Suffice to say I for one will be re-reading this book again + again coz of the writing. Utterly enchanting : poetry as prose.

Short , sharp sentences.

Ideas often made beautifully concrete by carefully chosen images/photographs + depictions of events, characters, moods + feelings.

Her Devotion is not just to writing but to the departed : her family, friends, lovers, dead Gods + dead Goddesses.

And here's the thing about any great writer. As well as being entertained (wonderfully) U are also informed. Consider this sentence : It occurs to me that the young look beautiful as they sleep and the old, such as myself, look dead .

2 people found this helpful

Jm

Livre

Reviewed in France on April 15, 2022

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Reçu avant la date prévu, génial car cadeau pour une fan de patti smith. Merci

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ramble on

Ambitious, unconventional, deeply connecting

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2023

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"The alchemy of art and craft"

Paul Carter

Very Enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2023

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I purchased both versions - Kindle and hardback...
I have been a fan of Patti Smith since the early days of her music, always enjoying the creative words/phrases of the lyrics.
It's only recently I have taken to reading her books, I'm now thinking why did I leave to soooo long to engage with her written works. I have found it difficult to put down the book, but life eventually has to take over. This is the forth book I have had the pleasure of reading.

One person found this helpful

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