Pathemata
Or, The Story of My Mouth
(Author) Maggie Nelsont’s not the dream that matters, it’s the telling of the dream – the words you choose, the risks you take in externalising your mindThis is a dreamlike portrait of a body in struggle to connect with itself and others. As the narrator contends with chronic pain, and with a pandemic raging in the background, she sets out to examine the literal and symbolic role of the mouth in the life of a writer. Merging dreams and dailies, Pathemata recounts the narrator’s tragicomic search to alleviate her suffering, a search that eventually becomes a reckoning with various forms of loss – the loss of intimacy, the loss of her father and the loss of a pivotal friend and mentor.
In exacting, distilled prose, her account blurs the lines between embodied, unconscious and everyday life. With characteristic precision, humour and compassion, Nelson explores the limits of language to describe experience, while also offering a portrait of an unnerving and isolating time in our shared history. A stunning new, original experiment in interiority by the adored author of Bluets and The Argonauts, Pathemata is a personal and poetic reckoning with pain and loss, both physical and emotional, as well as an uncanny meditation on love, affliction and resilience.
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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