Introduced by Sam Lipsyte, Writing

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 her groundbreaking new book, Devotion, one of our culture’s beloved artists offers a detailed account of her own creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections.

Patti Smith first presented 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 took us on a second journey, exploring the sources of her story. We traveled through the South of France to Camus’s house, and visited the garden of the great publisher Gallimard where the ghosts of Mishima, Nabokov, and Genet mingle. Smith tracked down Simone Weil’s grave in a lonely cemetery, hours from London, and winded through the nameless Paris streets of Patrick Modiano’s novels. Whether writing in a café or on a train, Smith generously opened her notebooks and let us glimpse the alchemy of her art and craft in this arresting and original book on writing.