How Should I Cast My Soul? Patti Smith’s Intimate New Memoir
Patti Smith’s memoir Bread of Angels marks a profound journey through her life, exploring themes of deep love, profound loss, and creative renewal. This new work, a decade in the making, is released on a day significant to her personal history and artistic milestones.
Significant Dates and Relationships
On November 4, 1946, Robert Mapplethorpe, Smith’s artistic soulmate and first true love, was born. Exactly 48 years later, on the same date, Fred “Sonic” Smith, her husband and fellow musician she called her “king among men,” passed away from a heart attack. The memoir’s publication coincides almost exactly with the 50th anniversary of her debut album, Horses.
Reflections on Time and Life
“The hourglass overturns. Each grain a word that erupts into a thousand more, the first and last moments of every living thing.”
Smith opens with this poetic meditation, breaking the illusion of time and inviting readers into her contemplative world. Like her poetry, her life writing is both profound and illuminating.
Previous Works in Context
- Just Kids, voted a best book of the 21st century by readers of The New York Times, chronicles Smith’s extraordinary relationship with Mapplethorpe and their establishing of artistic careers in 1970s New York.
- M Train and Year of the Monkey give insight into her spiritual views and creative processes as she reflects on time and travel.
- Devotion examines writing as a form of activism that protects her from being drowned by other people's work.
Author’s Summary
Patti Smith’s memoir blends poetic introspection with vivid recollections, tracing a lifelong path of art, love, and spiritual exploration.
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