Overview

'This Is the Door is a work of piercing grace, philosophical wisdom and rare emotional power. By tracing the history of her own body and spirit, as well as studying the suffering of others, Steinke shows us how physical pain and spiritual faith inform and influence each other. This is a work of art that could only have emerged from the crucible of truth. It's absolutely beautiful' - ELIZABETH GILBERT In This Is the Door, acclaimed author Darcey Steinke explores the agony and ecstasy of pain in its many forms. She takes readers through the archives and across oceans; she walks the tightrope between suffering and rapture, explores her own pain and that of a multitude of creatives characters from Frida Kahlo to Kurt Cobain. Her journey reveals a series of questions. Does pain educate? Is pain always a physical experience of negation? How does pain push us to another level of creativity? What can we learn from wounding, from winnowing, from the stillness, the de-creation that intense pain brings? Whether it is the physical pain of an injury or illness, or the mental pain of heartache or loneliness, pain is an experience shared by all of us. This Is the Door is a celebration of what the body can endure, and what it can achieve.

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9781838859435

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Reviews

Praise for Darcey Steinke: 'Incandescent -- OLIVIA LAING * * Guardian * * Steinke's sentences reliably deliver concision, beauty and surprise . . . I have come to trust Steinke to the point where I will follow her anywhere she decides to go -- MAGGIE NELSON * * Paris Review * * A fiercely intelligent trawl through menopausal waters that is not afraid to confront the intricacies of the female body and mind. There is a beautiful precision to the writing -- CATHY RENTZENBRINK * * The Times * * I love this book. I admire this book. I want everyone to read this book. It's fierce and it's important -- ELIZABETH GILBERT Glitters with a startling intimacy . . . The book still left me wanting more: more voices, more works about this transformation. The subject feels truly fresh and transgressive * * New York Times * *

It's a blessing to live while Darcey Steinke is writing, as THIS IS THE DOOR makes abundantly clear. Kurt Cobain, Audre Lorde, Nietzsche, Simone Weil, the author's father - all are here, along with many more, in a tapestry that makes the reader feel less alone in embodied life, here rendered as both excruciating and holy. * * Maggie Nelson * *

Author Information

Darcey Steinke is the author of multiple works of non-fiction and novels, including her most recent memoir, Flash Count Diary. Her books have been translated into ten languages and her nonfiction has appeared widely, including in the Times, New York Times and Paris Review. She has taught at Columbia University, New York University and the American University of Paris. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn. @steinkedarcey | darceysteinke.com | darceysteinke.substack

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