Reviews of The Art of the Wasted Day

“A wonderfully lavish and leisurely exploration . . . Hampl captures the art of daydreaming with astonishing simplicity and clarity in this remarkable and touching book.” – Publishers Weekly

“Lucent, tender, and wise . . . a captivating and revelatory memoir.” –Kirkus Reviews

“An exquisite anatomy of mind and an incandescent reflection on nature, being, and rapture” —ALA Booklist

With her now classic books, A Romantic Education, Virgin Time and Blue Arabesque, Patricia Hampl has helped define what Booklist has called “the memoir of discovery.”  In addition to her own books, Hampl made contributions as an editor and contributor to works defining and extending the understanding of autobiographical writing including the just released We Shall Bear Witness: Life Narratives and Human Rights.

“If Patricia Hampl had written memoirs chronicling her days in New York or Los Angeles, her name would be on every American reader’s lips… Hampl’s prose is delightfully fluid, artful without being arty, ever attuned to ambiguity. She is, unquestionably, one of the finest stylists we have.” Dan Cryer, Newsday

Awards
– Four New York Times Notable Books
– National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
– MacArthur Award Winner

Listen to the staged reading of The Florist’s Daughter from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.

More from Patricia Hampl on memoir: Tell Me True: Memoir, History, And Writing A Life. Co-edited by Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May. Click here for more information.