The Coral Sea
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"Through these poems, a singular, glowing vision of Robert Mapplethorpe develops and emerges. In The Coral Sea , Patti Smith (in the words of Tennessee Williams) 'rings the bell of pure poetry.' "―William S. Burroughs In linked pieces Patti Smith tells the story of a man on a journey to see the Southern Cross, who is reflecting on his life and fighting the illness that is consuming him. Metaphoric and dreamy, this tale of transformation arises from Smith's knowledge of Mapplethorpe as a young man and as a mature artist, his close relationship with his patron and friend, Sam Wagstaff, and his years surviving AIDS and his ascent into death. Rich in detail, it is filled with references to Mapplethorpe's work and shows the man beneath the persona. Set against photographs by Mapplethorpe, the work emerges as a hymn, a prayer, a fable wishing him Godspeed on his latest journey.
"She was once our savage Rimbaud, but suffering has turned her into our St. John of the Cross, a mystic full of compassion."--Edmund White
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if it says “written by patti smith” I will buy it..and I will read it..and it will be 5 stars.
smith's writing is always poetic and filled with wonder and movement but this felt different from anything I've read from her before. it felt like reading grief. like she took exactly what she was feeling and put it in word form, if that makes sense.
I feel like you can look at this book in two ways in relation to “just kids”: it could be a more intense, abstract introduction to “just kids”, feeling the love and pain of this amazing friendship before you get to experience their journey.
or, you can look at this as a final send off to robert after experiencing their tumultuous and love filled life together in “just kids”. I think I understood the metaphors in “the coral sea” more because I had a previous understanding of their relationship from “just kids”. patti was more vulnerable and raw in this one, way more than in the ending of “just kids”, and it makes sense because this was written right after robert died. it's all of her feelings of love and fear and pain that followed his death while still celebrating him as a person and an artist.
I try not to speak of her and her works as if I know her or can sympathize with her grief, because I can't, but her writing allows you feel at least a sliver of what she's felt and experienced, and she's published books that hold so much of herself and her life, it's hard to not feel like you know her in some small way.
I really don't have to be in the reading mood to devour one of her books in one sitting. I am patti-biased though and haven't disliked any of her books yet but I know this one won't be for everyone. if you like poetry though, I think you'll enjoy it without having prior knowledge of what patti and robert's relationship was.
