A Month in Siena
A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar, published by Random House Publishing Group on October 22, 2019, is a reflective exploration of the connection between art and life. In this 144-page work, Matar recounts his journey to Siena, Italy, where he sought solace after completing his memoir, The Return. Immersing himself in the significant works of the Sienese School of painting, he engages with the art of renowned artists like Duccio and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, drawing connections to his personal experiences and earlier encounters with other masterpieces.
Readers will find a profound meditation on how art can evoke a range of emotions, from comfort to disturbance. A Month in Siena delves into the intricate relationship between the author and the artworks, as well as his interactions with the city and its people. This edition includes beautiful full-color reproductions of the paintings, enhancing the exploration of themes such as grief, intimacy, and solitude. Matar’s reflections illuminate how centuries-old art can resonate with contemporary life, offering insights into personal and collective experiences.
Official synopsis Publisher
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Return comes a profoundly moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND EVENING STANDARD
After finishing his powerful memoir The Return, Hisham Matar, seeking solace and pleasure, traveled to Siena, Italy. Always finding comfort and clarity in great art, Matar immersed himself in eight significant works from the Sienese School of painting, which flourished from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. Artists he had admired throughout his life, including Duccio and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, evoke earlier engagements he’d had with works by Caravaggio and Poussin, and the personal experiences that surrounded those moments.
Including beautiful full-color reproductions of the artworks, A Month in Siena is about what occurred between Matar, those paintings, and the city. That month would be an extraordinary period in the writer’s life: an exploration of how art can console and disturb in equal measure, as well as an intimate encounter with a city and its inhabitants. This is a gorgeous meditation on how centuries-old art can illuminate our own inner landscape—current relationships, long-lasting love, grief, intimacy, and solitude—and shed further light on the present world around us.
Praise for A Month in Siena
“As exquisitely structured as The Return, driven by desire, yearning, loss, illuminated by the kindness of strangers. A Month in Siena is a triumph.”—Peter Carey
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