Year of the Monkey

Following a run of new year's concerts at san francisco's legendary fillmore, patti smith finds herself tramping the coast of santa cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs--including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the cheshire cat. In february, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "anything is possible: after all, it's the year of the monkey." for smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, tracking thoughts, writing--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of america. Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from california to the arizona desert; to a kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by smith's signature polaroids, year of the monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.

Biografia, Autobiografia, Memórias