Rock musician Patti Smith is now a literary star. Her memoir about life in New York City in the 1960s, Just Kids, won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The literary awards were handed out Wednesday night in New York City. Lord of Misrule author Jaimy Gordon won for fiction. NEARY: The most emotional moment of last night came when Patti Smith won the non fiction award for her memoir "Just Kids," about her lifelong friendship and early love affair with the late artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Smith said she promised Mapplethorpe she would write the book the day before he died of AIDS. Ms. PATTI SMITH (Author, "Just Kids"): I was the only one that could write it really, since we grew together, we evolved as artists together. And he could also trust that I would present him to the world as I knew him, which was as an artist, a loving friend; mischievous, generous, kind, funny and beautiful. So I did my best. NEARY: In accepting her award, Smith recalled the time when she was a young girl, new to the city, working at Scribner's Bookstore and dreaming of writing her own book one day.
Download the podcast here. See also:
Patti Smith Complete 1975-2006: Lyrics, Reflections & Notes for the Future
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Auguries of Innocence: Poems
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Early Work: 1970-1979
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Patti Smith: Dream of Life
From the mid-1960s to the early '80s, Max's Kansas City was an artists haven that welcomed Andy Warhol, writer William S. Burroughs and musicians like the New York Dolls and Madonna. As part of this week's series on New York's bygone concert halls and nightclubs, we look back at Max's, its legendary back room and its generous bar tabs. We talk with Steven Kasher, gallery owner and editor of the photo book Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll.
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