Laurie Anderson's Reading List

The musician and multimedia artist, whose new show will open at the Hirshhorn Museum this spring, has long been haunted by a particular image: “As the wind passes through windows and slips under doors we meet the characters in the book. If any Times readers know which Balzac book this wind is in — please let me know.”

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By the Book: Laurie Anderson (2020)

NYT By the Book column (2020-01-30).

Source: www.nytimes.com

Rebel in the Soul

Bika Reed · Buy on Amazon

""Rebel in the Soul: An Ancient Egyptian Dialogue Between a Man and His Destiny," translated by Bika Reed from fragments of hieroglyphics."

Pearl Harbor

Craig Nelson · Buy on Amazon

"Craig Nelson's books are especially good for this — books jammed with characters and facts like "Pearl Harbor.""

The Wind in the Willows

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

"I loved "The Wind in the Willows." It's amazing that little children are still drawn to stories about small bachelor animals in bathrobes and slippers."

Great Demon Kings

John Giorno · Buy on Amazon

""Great Demon Kings: A Memoir of Poetry, Sex, Art, Death, and Enlightenment," by my friend the poet John Giorno, which contains the sexiest and most graphic history of a love life I've ever read."

Favorite books (2023)

Favorite books recommended by Laurie Anderson, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/laurie-anderson-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

Within The Context Of No Context

George Trow · Buy on Amazon

"It’s hilarious and dangerous. Dead on analysis of what makes America so big: the size of the con. Good summer reading that gives a context to making this country great again."

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Jimi Hendrix ) · Buy on Amazon

"The most visual language of any book I know. Which is odd since this is a book about the bardo — the disintegration of the self and the transformation of energy. I love the imagery and it reminds me that every minute of life is the bardo!"

Moby-Dick

Herman Melville (also rec’d by Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen , John Irving , Norman Mailer , Patti Smith , Penn Jillette , Ray Bradbury , Steve Jobs & Tilda Swinton ) · Buy on Amazon

"Melville is master of the jump cut. I fell in love with this book. The words were songs, the flow embraced the way we actually think. Backtracking, looping, jumping. But here’s a tip: if you’re thinking of making a multimedia opera from your favorite book, don’t do it! I tried it and didn’t have the nerve to rough it up. I never took off the white gloves. So obviously it didn’t work out."

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Laurence Sterne · Buy on Amazon

"It’s the ultimate shaggy dog story. Time stops. Many times. Written at the dawn of the novel, this is still so daring. And you’ll love Uncle Toby. Who doesn’t?"

Pale Fire

Vladimir Nabokov · Buy on Amazon

"Poetry disguised as prose. I check in on this one every once in a while to remind myself that poetry can also tell stories."

Autobiography of Red

Anne Carson · Buy on Amazon

"The hero is so elusive. At the end you still don’t know whether Red is a person or a color. Announcements somehow contain opinion. I have never seen that done so well or so confidently. An epic poem. Plus very, very funny."

The Well-Tempered City

Jonathan F.P. Rose · Buy on Amazon

"An astounding account of the future of cities within the framework of Bach and a desire to repair the world. Rose looks directly and clearly at overpopulation, history, disastrous urban planning, terrorism and utopian dreams. He pictures ways we can potentially redesign our world with imagination and compassion. Deeply inspiring."

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Annie Dillard · Buy on Amazon

"Reminds me to be in the present. Paints the world as a place that’s almost excruciatingly alive. The patience she has to wait for the smallest things to happen always resets my sense of scale. Plus, it’s like being outside the whole time."

When Things Fall Apart

Pema Chodron · Buy on Amazon

"Reminds me that disasters can be positive. Reminds me to accept whatever happens and to make it my friend. Grounded in disaster, it leads to the comfort and understanding that we — and only we — can bring to ourselves. Reminds me that we all have broken hearts."

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