M Train by Patti Smith

"So honest and pure as to count as a true rapture," wrote Joan Didion of Patti Smith's M Train, a sentiment echoed by Johnny Depp who calls it "A poetic masterpiece." Edmund White aptly describes Smith as "Our St John of the Cross, a mystic full of compassion." This revised edition, featuring five thousand words of bonus material and new photographs, serves as a captivating roadmap to the life of the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids, an unforgettable odyssey viewed through the intimate lens of the cafés and haunts she has frequented around the globe.

M Train begins in the familiar comfort of Smith's tiny Greenwich Village café, her daily ritual of black coffee, quiet contemplation on the world past and present, and the inscription of thoughts into her ever-present notebook. Through prose that flows effortlessly between the realms of dreams and reality, the echoes of history and the immediacy of the present, and across a landscape rich with creative aspirations and inspirations, Smith takes us on a deeply personal journey.

We travel with her to Frida Kahlo's iconic Casa Azul in Mexico, attend a meeting of an Arctic explorer's society in the cool air of Berlin, find ourselves in a ramshackle seaside bungalow in New York's Far Rockaway just before the devastating arrival of Hurricane Sandy, and stand in quiet reverence at the graves of literary giants Genet, Plath, Rimbaud, and Mishima. Woven throughout these travels are Smith's insightful reflections on the craft of writing and the elusive nature of artistic creation itself.

The narrative is also deeply imbued with singular memories of Smith's formative years in Michigan and the enduring, irremediable loss of her beloved husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith. Braiding threads of despair with the quiet resilience of hope and the solace of consolation, and illustrated with her signature evocative Polaroids, M Train becomes a profound meditation on travel, the comforting predictability of detective shows, the enduring power of literature, and the simple ritual of coffee.

This is a powerful and deeply moving book from one of the most remarkable artists working today, offering a unique and intimate glimpse into her inner world, her artistic process, and the enduring connections that shape a life lived with unwavering curiosity and profound artistic integrity.