I am sure that what I remember is not necessarily what actually happened, but I can only write what I remember.
Wildly inventive and magnificently surreal, The Smiths: A Novella recounts the impact of an unconventional pop group from Manchester on one man's life. Taking the form of a flâneuring journey through the landscape of memory, our anonymous protagonist is accompanied by the iconic French actress Carole Bouquet, who becomes his guide and interlocutor, asking about his life during the years The Smiths were together and the profound effect of their music upon him.
As the unlikely couple perambulate from the old Selfridge Hotel to West Hollywood by way of a park bench in Cavendish Square, their conversation interrogates and celebrates the joys of outlandish pop genius, the zealous dedication of fans and the cult of outsider disaffection given uproarious voice. As such, this is not a book about The Smiths but one that emerges from their music, their emotional register and their literary resonance.
Michael Bracewell's novella-cum-fairy tale is at once deeply romantic and laced with comedy - not unlike the band themselves - and perhaps (in fictional form) the most astute and celebratory portrait of The Smiths to date.
| ISBN: | 9781399638609 |
| Publication date: | 11th June 2026 |
| Author: | Michael Bracewell |
| Publisher: | White Rabbit an imprint of Orion |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 144 pages |
| Genres: |
Musicians, singers, bands and groups Novella (Short Novel) General Fiction Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction |
I am sure that what I remember is not necessarily what actually happened, but I can only write what I remember.
Wildly inventive and magnificently surreal, The Smiths: A Novella recounts the impact of an unconventional pop group from Manchester on one man's life. Taking the form of a flâneuring journey through the landscape of memory, our anonymous protagonist is accompanied by the iconic French actress Carole Bouquet, who becomes his guide and interlocutor, asking about his life during the years The Smiths were together and the profound effect of their music upon him.
As the unlikely couple perambulate from the old Selfridge Hotel to West Hollywood by way of a park bench in Cavendish Square, their conversation interrogates and celebrates the joys of outlandish pop genius, the zealous dedication of fans and the cult of outsider disaffection given uproarious voice. As such, this is not a book about The Smiths but one that emerges from their music, their emotional register and their literary resonance.
Michael Bracewell's novella-cum-fairy tale is at once deeply romantic and laced with comedy - not unlike the band themselves - and perhaps (in fictional form) the most astute and celebratory portrait of The Smiths to date.
The Smiths features in the following genres: Musicians, singers, bands and groups, Novella (Short Novel), General Fiction, Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction
The Smiths is available in Hardback
The Smiths was written by Michael Bracewell and published by White Rabbit an imprint of Orion
The Smiths has 144 pages
£13.49