Michael Bracewell - The Smiths [Book]
This is a pre-order item and is expected 11th June 2026.
A wildly inventive and highly unconventional account of how one man's life was forever changed by The Smiths, from author Michael Bracewell.
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.
PRODUCT DETAIL
Author: Michael Bracewell
Publisher: White Rabbit Books
Format: Hardback
Released: 11th June 2026
This is available for in-store purchase or Click and Collect. If you would like mail order please contact us here.
This is a pre-order item and is expected 11th June 2026.
A wildly inventive and highly unconventional account of how one man's life was forever changed by The Smiths, from author Michael Bracewell.
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.
PRODUCT DETAIL
Author: Michael Bracewell
Publisher: White Rabbit Books
Format: Hardback
Released: 11th June 2026
This is available for in-store purchase or Click and Collect. If you would like mail order please contact us here.