This is a remarkable little book in its own way. It's a longish short story called "Devotion" bracketed by opening and closing sections discussing the story's genesis and then some reflections on the act of creative writing, in line with the book's genesis as part of the Why I Write-themed Windham-Campbell lectures at Yale.It's the opening and closing sections that moved me the most, as a fellow writer and Patti Smith fan--I've even met her on a couple of occasions. The story was less dramatical...

While I often say that my love of Patti Smith's writing is massive and boundless, I may now have to qualify that to say that my love of Patti Smith's nonfiction is boundless. I could stand on street corners and harangue complete strangers into reading her absolutely perfect memoir Just Kids. It's a book so beautiful that it made me cry on the subway before 8am on a weekday. (Usually if I tear up under those circumstances, it has to do with a foul odor, or the knowledge that the week is far from

An unconventional but inspiring little book. It’s part memoir, part fiction, part travel writing. I just love Patti Smith’s writing.

Liked the autobiographical parts, absolutely loathed thr short story/novella in the middle. I never want to read a book about a "16-year old girl" having an affair with a "man in his late thirties". Just. NO.

A shot of inspiration.•To relieve pain caused by bad books and inflammatory writing.•Do not use if you are allergic to elegant prose. •Apply as many times as necessary and consult your doctor if the symptoms persist for more than five seconds. •Only take this medicine when you are seeking for an intimate and melancholic read.•Keep it stored on a cool dry shelf.

Why is one compelled to write? To set oneself apart, cocooned, rapt in solitude, despite the wants of others. Virginia Woolf had her room. Proust his shuttered windows. Marguerite Duras her muted house. Dylan Thomas his modest shed. All seeking an emptiness to imbue with words. The words that will penetrate virgin territory, crack unclaimed combinations, articulate the infinite. [...] There are stacks of notebooks that speak of years of aborted efforts, deflated euphoria, a relentless pacing

Devotion by Patti Smith was the 2016 Windham-Campbell Lecture at Yale University. Smith, a singer, writer, and photographer, wrote M Train and Just Kids and several volumes of poetry. Her album Horses is widely viewed as one of the great rock albums of all time. Where does her inspiration come from? Smith writes every day, usually in a café in Manhattan. She’s in her seventies now, having survived a husband and a long time partner, Robert Mapplethorpe, and is still writing and making music. New

As a reading experience this was unsatisfactory. A brief book about writing and the writer's life, Devotion begins with a short section wherein Patti Smith travels to Paris to spend a week doing business with her French publisher. Her time there is fairly quiet, a lot of walks and relaxed meals in cafes. On a train trip she is suddenly inspired to write and feverishly turns out a short story in her notebook; she mentions that it contains several elements inspired by the preceding few days: a rou...

A worthwhile addition to the Patti Smith library. "Devotion" beautifully describes Patti Smith's attitude toward the creative life, as anyone who has read M Train or Just Kids can attest. This tiny volume is divided into three parts. The first, "How the Mind Works" is not analytical but illustrative. It starts, "Somehow, in search of something else, I stumbled upon..." A film about Estonians deported to Siberian collective farms in 1941. Images from the film. The difficulty of capturing images

Video ReviewDevotion outlines Patti Smith's writing process — from idea, to research, to frantic writing, and documentation. It almost feels like a great academic text on creative writing. Devotion is a book about what inspires writers to write. However, I preferred Just Kids. For more, see my video review.

Truly an amazing experience. I guarantee 𝘵𝘩𝘦 self-assured hubris after reading.

If only all of her musings and introspection on the mystical processes of birthing a piece of writing could have produced something worth reading. The story "Devotion" encapsulated within the book of the same title, does nothing to elucidate the richness or complexity of human experience, and lays characters flat, who are nihilistic at best. I could feel nothing for them because they could only produce a shallow and passive expression of human feeling. The pieces of the book hang loosely related...

Devotion is delivered to the reader in a bouquet of immortelle with a sword hidden in the middle.I've said it before and will continue to reiterate, Ms Smith's books are to be read slowly, methodically or you will miss the magic.I was ecstatic when Devotion finally arrived. I skipped through my home holding it dear to my heart.Later I read a few pages, and slept with it beside me. The connection of her work is that potent; having the book close while you sleep is safety."Why do we write? Because...

Haunting..beautiful..

It IS a bit slight... But still lovely. It's a three parter - starts non-fiction about travelling to France, which I really enjoyed, then there's a short story about an ice skater which was just ok for me, and then a short non-fiction piece at the end about going to Camus' house. Some lovely parts in the non-fiction - coffee, books, bowls of berries etc etc and the short story wasn't awful by any means, but wasn't really expecting it.

This was a lovely little book - part short story, part non-fiction/memoir. I've never read fictional prose from Smith before, but I quite enjoyed the story Devotion in this, even if it was quite strange. Her writing has a certain etherial quality that I can just get lost in. But my favourite part of this has to be her musings on writing and her own writing practice, in the cafes of Paris and New York City. The addition of her own personal photographs (including that of her notebook) really compl...

It was so beautiful, delicate, passionate and lovely. It's more of a novella, so it's quite easy to finish in a day. Does she ever write a book that's not perfect? Maybe she'd adopt me?

The word that comes to mind after closing this 100 page book is Praise. That's a lofty word that I've not pronounced on any other writing in many years, but this book merits it in my mind. Let me try to tell you why.There are two streams of thought in the slim volume beginning with the foundation of a memoir. This is intimate for the reader to witness the author's preparation for trip to Paris and experience her deep knowledge of the city's gems. Her reading of French authors influences who she

Years ago I read Patti Smith’s Just Kids and fell in love with her writing, her story and her ability to weave the loves, sorrows and joys of her life together so effortlessly. I followed that up by reading M Train the year after, and the following year listened to the audible ofM Train and read Year of the Monkey. Last month I listened to her audible book Patti Smith at the Minetta Lane,which I loved, and today to her Devotion.Devotion is very different from the others, part of the Why I Write

While at the Harvard Book Store last week, I decided to console myself with the fact I couldn't make yet another trip in two weeks' time back to the city to see Patti Smith live, by purchasing her new book. I adore her, but in this case, I should have purchased a remainder hard cover copy of my beloved "M Train" instead of her newest. I was looking for this to be "M Train 2.0," but instead got an odd little 100-page book divided in three parts. Part I is her recounting a trip to France; Part II