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 Woolgathering is Patti's childhood, but unlike her other books it's semi-autobiographical which I think reduces its power. Patti already writes poetically and enthusiastically in other books, but in Woolgathering, the reader easily can lose the sense of direction and actual events that make her books memorable and relatable. The best story is 1957 by far, the story of her dog is so moving it feels like that deserved to be a short poem by itself instead of something buried in this arrangement. 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 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.

Artık aranızda bilmeyeniniz yoktur sanırım; biz Patti Smith ile ruh ikiziyiz. Sisters from another mister durumu gibi de biraz. İkimiz de sürekli acı kahve içiyoruz. O kafe senin bu kafe benim dolaşıp en kuytu köşelerde kitaplar okuyor, hüzünlü notlar alıyor, anılarımızı bozuk pikaplar gibi sarıp sarıp oynatıyoruz yeniden zihnimizde. O 70lerde yaşadı, benimse ruhum orda yaşıyor. Sevdiğimiz filmleri tekrar tekrar izliyor, bazı sahneleri gerçek hayatta da yeniden yaratmaya uğraşıyoruz. Jean Genet’ye tapan bir tek ikimiz varız sanki koca dünyada. O, Tanca’da mezarını ziyaret etti, ben henüz edemedim. Ama yakında! İkimiz de mezarlık gezmeyi seviyoruz elbette, biliyorsunuz. Evimizi öyle çok seviyoruz ki evdeyken bile “Eve gitmek istiyorum diye sızlandım. Oysa evdeydim zaten.” gibi efsane bir cümle kurabiliyoruz. (Sen de Yengeç burcu olabilir misin acaba Patti?) Ne mogu tačno da se setim koliko godina sam imao kada sam prvi put čuo pesmu "Because the night" ali se jasno sećam jula 2009. godine kada je Patti Smith sa glavne scene EXIT festivala počela da je peva. I sada kada pustim snimak sa Youtube-a prođu me žmarci i ne prestajem da se divim ovoj ženi kako je u tih nekoliko minuta, koliko traje pesma, uspela da svede gomilu emocija na predivan tekst pesme, praćen izvanrednom melodijom. Ima nešto neverovatno u Peti Smit...

I was excited when Devotion was announced, and when it was explained to be a treatise about her writing and process (although she does delve into that in M Train a bit). I was absolutely over the moon when a dear friend invited me to hear Patti speak at a local reading that was handing out free copies of the new book, too. What a day! Patti read from the memoir section of Devotion (which involved a trip to France and all the meat, potatoes and coffee that made M Train so lovable) and spoke about how the rest of the slender volume was written in haste, against a deadline, as she was something at a loss as to how to describe the devotion of the process of writing in such a way. She turned to fiction to do so. She told us all about what she had been reading and watching and doing at the time, sang a few songs, and gave us a lovely evening. I could not WAIT to open this book. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. Her biri birbirinden farklı, birbirinden iyi albümlerin altında imzası bulunan, bizi kimi zaman hüzünlendirirken kimi zaman da hayal dünyasının kapılarına girmeye zorlayan, Çoluk Çocuk adlı kitabıyla National Book Ödülünün sahibi olmuş, muhteşem bir insandan bahsediyoruz. Hayalperestler' beni o yıllara götürdü. Üzgünüm ama sanki biraz zorla mı yazdın Patti? Bir 'Wave' durumu var sanki bu kitapta? Gerçi önsözde bahsetmişsin; ilk kitabın olan bu metni yazarken, çok amatör ve toy olduğundan. Yine de 'Çoluk Çocuk' ve 'M Treni'ni yazmış, yüce ozan Patti elinden kötü bir şey çıkmaz diye üzerine atlamıştım. Yanılmışım. Bu minik kitapta Patti kendi ekseninden çıkmışsın ve bir edebiyatçı gibi yazma gayretine girmişsin; buna istinaden de eser '-miş gibi' cümlelerle dolmuş taşmış. 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 in writing. "this was the beginning of that something else, but I didn't know it then."

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 The haunting image. Trying to work in a cafe. Reading Modiano's Paris Nocturne, and reaching for her pen. The interaction of the mind that observes and absorbs with ideas and creations, and then the springing to life of the creative impulse. Patti Smith gençliğime fon müziği olmuş, rafımdaki en değerli albümden gördüğüm bazılarının sahibi, gerçekten değer verdiğim bir müzisyendir. Lise yıllarımda sabah okula 'Because the Night', 'People have the Power', 'Gone Again' gibi şarkıları söyleyerek girerken, akşam çıkışa değin ağzım kendini Alanis Morissette, Björk, Tori Amos gibi görece daha kişisel müzisyenlere bırakırdı. Çünkü uzun süreli münasebet esnasında yorardı beni Patti. Pj Harvey ile birlikte çoğu zaman genç bünyeme ağır gelirdi ve sanki bazı yerlerde biraz zorlama mı müzik yapıyorlar diye düşünüp, sırtımı dönerdim bu ikisine.Perhaps what Devotion teaches us most easily is the virtue of hubris: “But slowly I discerned a familiar shift in my concentration. That compulsion that prohibits me from completely surrendering to a work of art, drawing me from the halls of a favored museum to my own drafting table. […] That is the decisive power of a singular work: a call to action. And I, time and again, am overcome with the hubris to believe I can answer that call” (92). It’s hubris to write a short story in answer to the call in one’s heart. It’s hubris moreover to analyze one’s own short story for signs of the writerly. Of course, as the critic, to comment on her commentary about her own story is a feat that takes place at a dizzying distance. In our human folly, we realize we have hardly any choice — for the world is right there around us, and how dare we not respond to it? 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 última parte, uma espécie de epílogo intelectual, é consideravelmente melhor. Quando Patti chama e dialoga com suas referências, quando podemos ver as engrenagens daquela cabecinha privilegiada e rebelde funcionando. Aí sim.

Summary

The climate emergency is at the forefront of Smith’s mind. We’re meeting via Zoom to discuss her headline concert at the opening of Cop26, and I’m momentarily thrown by the sight of the queen of punk waving at me from her bedroom in New York. But there she is, her thin frame draped in a green shirt, her long silver hair in plaited pigtails on each side of her angular, undone face. A guitar rests in the corner of the room, while her cat makes regular appearances on screen. An artist, almost more than anyone, has got to be free

Devotion is short enough to devour at one enjoyable sitting and thought-provoking enough to deserve re-reading.”—Suzi Feay, Financial TimesA 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 this groundbreaking book, one of our culture's beloved artists offers a detailed account of her own creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections. 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