Patti Smith is set to publish a new memoir, Bread of Angels, under Random House, slated for release on November 4, the 32nd anniversary of het husband Fred Smith’s passing and what would have been the 79th birthday of her late friend and renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Bread of Angels chronicles Smith’s childhood in Philadelphia and South Jersey and her marriage to the late Fred “Sonic” Smith, guitarist of the rock band MC5, among other things. She says in a statement, “It took a decade to write this book, grappling with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime. I’m hoping that people will find something they need.”
The memoir is described as her most intimate memoir yet. On Instagram, the influential singer shared a photo of her parents, along with a statement revealing that they inspired much of the memoir.
This release follows 2010’s National Book Award-winning Just Kids, which centered on her youth in New York City and her relationship with Mapplethorpe; 2015’s M Train, which recounts her travels and time living in Rockaway Beach before and after Hurricane Sandy; and 2019’s Year of the Monkey, which blends a travelogue and dream journal reflecting on her life in 2016.
In other news, Smith is set to embark on a U.S. and European 50th anniversary tour this fall, celebrating her influential 1975 debut album, Horses, which she and her band will perform in full.