A Book of Days by Patti Smith. Bloomsbury. Pages 386. Rs 999
Book Title: A Book of Days
Author: Patti Smith
Beginning with a shot of herself, Patti Smith then shares a picture of her palm. From here begins a medley of shots — ‘three hundred and sixty-six ways of saying hello,’ the author says. These are views of the world from her beloved Polaroid, some from her archive and also from the cellphone. Snapshots from her daily life — her coffee table, the books she’s reading, reminiscing about an old friend, admiring an artist, peeping at a historical event, her glasses ‘without which she could not read’. There’s the bookcase by her table, a pair of old boots, of mothers and daughters — each with a short description.
Patti Smith celebrates little moments and also highlights the big ones in ‘A Book of Days’. There are cherished shots of many an artiste. Smith’s long-time friend, the late playwright Sam Shepard. A Jimi Hendrix poster is captioned “a shaman of our age”. There’s a photo of a photo of poet Anna Akhmatova. A spread of CDs includes the soundtrack to ‘Ghost in the Shell’. A shot where Smith is strolling with pianist Richard Sohl and painter Carl Apfelschnitt. A birthday shot with Keanu Reeves. Anniversary celebration with Robert Mapplethorpe — ‘the artist of her life’.
Inspired from her Instagram, which she joined with the encouragement of her daughter in 2018, Smith’s book is uniquely her own. The author, who writes and takes pictures every day, believes images are keys to unlocking one’s own thoughts. In this book decorated with pictures, of life on and off the road, the American writer, poet, performer reflects and preserves her memories — one day at a time.
