By Fayth Simmons
Content Warning: Reference to Drug Use
Just Kids, the 2010 memoir of legendary American artist Patti Smith, follows the timeline of Smith’s ascent into fame, from her early years spent exploring the bohemian faces of New York City to the solidification of her place within it. Just as the book ruminates upon the life of Smith herself, it acts as a tribute to the late Robert Mapplethorpe.
The pair first meet in New York, form a close relationship, and grow into their artistic practices parallel to each other. Throughout the years, they provide for each other, acting as muse for the other, lifeline, and devoted dreamer. Theirs was a love story set against a backdrop of a charged and changing city.
As their artistic practices evolve and their inspiration is continually drawn from widening circles, the identity of their relationship changes too—though challenged, it never disappears and arguably only grows stronger with each change of artistic direction. Robert begins to focus heavily on his photography, while Patti is drawn into poetry and the world of performance. The narrative describes the trials and tribulations that irrepressibly follow the path of courage and the monumental articulation of one’s own voice.
As the book explores this timeline of ascent, the reader is drawn into both the overt and empathetically subliminal world of Patti’s as she works to understand herself and her art before finally coming to the conclusion that they are, in fact, one and the same. She reminisces on her relationship with Mapplethorpe—the necessity and import of it, and how it worked to shape both of them as people, contributing to shared sets of values and a dedication to the pursuit of creation (thus finding value within the practice).
Just Kids is evocative and timely—a reverential narrative that gives homage to the essential pre-conditions of artistic genius. The overarching tone is not necessarily nostalgic but clear and refreshingly decided, even though it recalls certain times of indecision. Smith writes in tell-tale prose, painting vivid, atmospheric scenes of Manhattan in the 60s and 70s—people and places representative of a time of innate artistic growth. Her ability to come across as both emotive and yet stoic is admirable and arguably necessary to the success of the narrative, which may well be considered a classic of memoirs.