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Bluets
AS SEEN ON BBC2βS BETWEEN THE COVERS
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See moreA raw, cerebral work devoted to the inextricability of pleasure and pain, and to the question of what role, if any, aesthetic beauty can play in times of great heartache or grief.
Maggie Nelson is one of the most electrifying writers at work in America today, among the sharpest and most supple thinkers of her generation - Olivia Laing
A Guardian Book of the Year
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Description
Bluets is a Guardian Book of the Year and was featured on BBC2's Between the Covers.
"Maggie Nelson is one of the most electrifying writers at work in America today, among the sharpest and most supple thinkers of her generation." - Olivia Laing
Bluets winds its way through themes of depression, divinity, alcohol, and desire, visiting along the way with famous blue figures, including Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Yves Klein, Leonard Cohen, and Andy Warhol. While its narrator sets out to construct a sort of 'pillow book' about her lifelong obsession with the colour blue, she ends up facing both the painful end of an affair and the grievous injury of a dear friend.
The combination produces a raw, cerebral work devoted to the inextricability of pleasure and pain, and to the question of what role, if any, aesthetic beauty can play in times of great heartache or grief.
Much like Roland Barthes's A Lover's Discourse, Bluets has passed between lovers in the ecstasy of new love, and been pressed into the hands of the heartbroken. Visceral, learned, and acutely lucid, Bluets is a slim feat of literary innovation and grace, never before published in the UK.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Bluets by Maggie Nelson receives high praise for its thought-provoking and lyrical exploration of the colour blue and personal reflection. Critics like Olivia Laing and Karl Ove Knausgaard commend Nelsonβs sharp intellect and the profound impact of her writing. Anne Enright describes the book as impactful and deeply resonant, while Time Out praises it as an artistic and intelligent meditation. Nelsonβs work is noted for its adventurous and authentic narrative style by Brick.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781911214526
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 01 June 2017
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Jonathan Cape Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 206.0mm
Weight: 236g
Pages: 112
About the Author
Maggie Nelson is the author of several books of poetry and prose, including the New York Times bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award winner The Argonauts, and most recently in the UK, Bluets. She teaches at University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.
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