Review
------
"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
----------------
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.