{"product_id":"autoportrait-9781646221387","title":"Autoportrait","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA work of unflinching honesty, \u003ci\u003eAutoportrait \u003c\/i\u003eis a hypnotic memoir of reflection, loss, and everyday joy from one of America's best contemporary novelists\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJesse Ball has produced fourteen acclaimed works of deeply empathetic absurdism in poetry and fiction. Now, he offers readers his first memoir, one that showcases his \"humane curiosity\" (James Wood) and invites the reader into a raw and personal account of love, grief, and memory. Inspired by the memoir Édouard Levé put to paper shortly before his death, \u003ci\u003eAutoportrait\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinarily frank and intimate work from one of America's most brilliant young authors. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe subtle power of Ball's voice conjures the richness of everyday life. On each page, half-remembered moments are woven together with the joys and triumphs--and the mistakes and humiliations, too--that somehow tell us who we are, why we are here. Held at the same height as tragic accounts of illness or death are moments of startling beauty, banality, or humor: I wake in the morning, I sit, I walk long distances. If there is somewhere to swim, I may swim. If I have a bicycle, I will ride it, especially to meet someone. There is no more preparing for me to do, other than preparing for death, and I do that by laughing. Not laughing at death, of course. Laughing at myself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn extraordinary memoir that reminds us what is possible and builds to the kind of power one might feel reading Anne Carson's \u003ci\u003eGlass Essay\u003c\/i\u003e, or Joe Brainard's\u003ci\u003e I Remember\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eAutoportrait\u003c\/i\u003e will leave you feeling utterly invigorated, inspired, and a little afraid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Catapult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/09\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781646221387\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 140\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal Prepub Alert\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2022 pg. 24\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2022 pg. 90\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/09\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Jesse Ball","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42200710873269,"sku":"9781646221387","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_9409d73c-20a1-48bd-9345-b1a356376e3f.jpg?v=1655219202","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/autoportrait-9781646221387","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}