Bluets
AS SEEN ON BBC2’S BETWEEN THE COVERS
(Author) Maggie NelsonAS SEEN ON BBC2's BETWEEN THE COVERS A Guardian Book of the Year 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 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 down 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.
Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson is an American writer known for her unique blend of poetry, memoir, and criticism. She is the author of several notable works, including "Bluets," a lyrical exploration of love and loss, and "The Argonauts," a groundbreaking memoir that challenges traditional notions of gender and family.
Nelson's writing style is characterized by its honesty, vulnerability, and intellectual rigor. She is known for her ability to blend personal experience with complex theoretical ideas, creating works that are both intimate and intellectually stimulating.
Nelson's contributions to literature have had a significant impact on the genre of creative nonfiction, pushing boundaries and redefining what it means to write about the self. Her work has been praised for its originality, insight, and emotional depth.
One of Nelson's most famous works is "The Argonauts," which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism in 2015. The book has been widely acclaimed for its fearless exploration of identity, love, and the complexities of modern family life. Overall, Maggie Nelson is a writer whose work continues to inspire and challenge readers, making her a prominent voice in contemporary literature.
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