AN iNEWS BEST BOOK TO READ THIS MONTH

'Clement has lived a life like no other, and made of it a shimmering mosaic, a masterpiece, which is this book' Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less

Growing up in Mexico City, Jennifer Clement lived next door to Frida Kahlo's house. It was an unorthodox and bohemian childhood, living alongside artists, communists, revolutionaries and poets, and one that allowed an awakening of creative freedom and curiosity about the world.

Leaving behind the revolutions in Latin America for the burgeoning counter-culture scene in '80s New York, Clement quickly became a fixture on the art scene, inhabiting the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Colette Lumiere and William Burroughs, and frequenting The Mudd Club, Danceteria and Studio 54.

From the author of cult classic Widow Basquiat, this memoir is a tale of two cities and their artists. It recreates the fury, ecstasy and danger that made '70s Mexico City and '80s New York two of the greatest places to be young, free and alive.

"Whether stashing her poems in a Basquiat-daubed fridge that later sells at Sotheby's or playing with Diego Rivera's granddaughter in Frida Kahlo's bathtub, [Clement's] memories are a perfect synthesis of clarity and mystery" - * Observer *

"[A] perfect time capsule told in fragments of intoxicating prose . . . As with [Widow Basquiat], Clement's account of New York's changing face is hugely compelling" - * Skinny *

"[An] illuminating memoir" - * Harper's Bazaar *

"Praise for Widow Basquiat: Engrossing" - * The Times *

"A love story for the ages, Widow Basquiat is an unorthodox dissection of one of modern history's greatest artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as recounted by his muse, Suzanne Mallouk. Bound to tug at your heartstrings, this book paints a vivid portrait of the trials and tribulations of an artist like no other." - * Service95 *

"A vivid portrait of Basquiat, powerfully evoking his inventiveness as an artist" - * Independent on Sunday *

"The kind of book that makes you want to take the next flight to New York" - * Big Issue *