‘How should I cast my soul?’ Patti Smith’s intimate new memoir is a quest for her true self

How Should I Cast My Soul? Patti Smith’s Intimate New Memoir

Patti Smith’s memoir Bread of Angels arrives on a day rich with personal significance. November 4 marks the birthday of Robert Mapplethorpe, her late photographer partner and artistic soulmate, born in 1946. It is also the day her husband and fellow musician, Fred “Sonic” Smith, passed away nearly five decades later. The book’s publication almost coincides with the 50th anniversary of her debut album, Horses.

“The hourglass overturns. Each grain a word that erupts into a thousand more, the first and last moments of every living thing.”

This deeply personal and comprehensive memoir, a project spanning ten years, reflects Smith’s ongoing quest for self-discovery through love, loss, and creative renewal. Like her poetry, her life writing is both profound and revealing.

Previous Memoirs and Themes

Just Kids was voted a best book of the 21st century by New York Times readers, chronicling Smith’s formative years and her relationship with Mapplethorpe in 1970s New York.
M Train and Year of the Monkey explore her spiritual views and creative processes amid reflections on time and travel.
Devotion addresses writing as a vital, active practice that helps her avoid being lost in others’ works.

Author’s Summary

Bread of Angels captures Smith’s lifelong journey of love and creativity, weaving together intimate memories with timeless reflections on art and existence.

The Conversation — 2025-11-04