David Hockney: A Life

"Catherine Cusset's book caught a lot of me. I recognised myself" DAVID HOCKNEY

"A perfect short expose of Hockney's life as seen through the eyes of an admiring novelist" Kirkus Reviews

"Hers is an affirming vision of a restless talent propelled by optimism and chance" New York Times

With clear, vivid prose, this meticulously researched novel draws an intimate, moving portrait of the most famous living English painter.

Born in Bradford in 1937, David Hockney had to fight to become an artist. After leaving home for the Royal College of Art in London his career flourished, but he continued to struggle with a sense of not belonging, because of his homosexuality, which had yet to be decriminalised, and because of his inclination for a figurative style of art, which was not sufficiently "contemporary" to be valued.

Trips to New York and California - where he would live for many years and paint his iconic swimming pools - introduced him to new scenes and new loves, beginning a journey that would take him through the fraught years of the AIDS epidemic.

A compelling hybrid of novel and biography, David Hockney: A Life offers an insightful overview of a painter whose art is as accessible as it is compelling, and whose passion to create has never been deterred by heartbreak or illness or loss.

Translated from the French by Teresa Lavender Fagan

“"Stylish...lucidly written, adheres closely to the outlines of Mr. Hockney's life...novels about artists have certain advantages over straight biographies...the autobiographical roots of art have never been more clear."”

Cusset's style oozes with delicacy, pointedness, and gusto. A perfect short exposé of Hockney's life as seen through the eyes of an admiring novelist. Kirkus Reviews
This book is a gem. A hybrid of biography and novelistic chiaroscuro in which Catherine Cusset, a widely translated French novelist, tells us "I have imagined feelings, thoughts, and dialogue -- Richard Cytowic New York Journal
Life of David Hockney feels almost as sunny as the poolside California that was the artist's longtime muse. Cusset never lets her intellectual digressions slow the tempo of her staccato prose. Hers is an affirming vision of a restless talent propelled by optimism and chance -- Ayten Tytici New York Times
Like Mr Hockney, Cusset mixes lush visuals with pervasive melancholy, and as her subject reaches belated maturity, her prose grows increasingly nuanced. By the book's end, the great painter feels fragile and accessible, both a legend and a fallible man Economist
What a breezy delight this book is! -- Brad Auerback Entertainment Today

Catherine Cusset was born in Paris in 1963. A graduate of the

"Catherine Cusset's book caught a lot of me. I could recognize myself." - David Hockney With clear, vivid prose, this meticulously researched novel draws an intimate, moving portrait of the most famous living English painter. Born in 1937 in a small town in the north of England, David Hockney had to fight to become an artist. After leaving his home in Bradford for the Royal College of Art in London, his career flourished, but he continued to struggle with a sense of not belonging, because of his homosexuality, which had yet to be decriminalized, and his inclination for a figurative style of art not sufficiently "contemporary" to be valued. Trips to New York and California-where he would live for many years and paint his iconic swimming pools-introduced him to new scenes and new loves, beginning a journey that would take him through the fraught years of the AIDS epidemic. A compelling hybrid of novel and biography, Life of David Hockney offers an insightful overview of a painter whose art is as accessible as it is compelling, and whose passion to create has never been deterred by heartbreak or illness or loss. "Reading Life of David Hockney somehow mimics the experience of looking at a painting by the artist...vivid...compelling." - The Economist "Vivid scenes...combine with loving descriptions of Hockney's canvases to create an engaging chronicle." - The New Yorker "As sunny as the poolside California that was the artist's longtime muse...an affirming vision of a restless talent propelled by optimism and chance...Cusset captures the psyche of a painter." New York Times Book Review

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