Each month, members of the Service95 Book Club are treated to a new book to explore. From the enlightening to the inspiring, the stories that are chosen take readers on a journey that extends far beyond the pages. Dua Lipa helps to immerse the members of the book club into the monthly selection, as she will interview the author and feature additional content related to the book on the Service95 website and in the book club’s monthly newsletter. As the club celebrates its two-year anniversary, it expands to now include a new Service95 Book Club with Dua Lipa podcast and its very own Service95 Book Club Instagram account. This month’s pick is Widow Basquiat by Jennifer Clement.
Jennifer Clement is not just a powerful writer but a powerful person. A powerful woman. Since graduating from New York University, she has gone on to write two memoirs, five novels, and several poetry collections. She was the President of PEN Mexico from 2009 to 2012, and as such, she was an asset in making it a federal crime to kill a journalist. In 2015, Clement became the president, a position that had not been held by a woman since its inception in 1921. Under her presidency, the PEN International Women’s Manifesto and The Democracy of the Imagination Manifesto were created. She is now the President Emerita.
Released in 2001, Widow Basquiat is Clement’s first book. It is biographical, as she writes about her close friend Suzanne and the relationship Suzanne had with world-renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It pulls back the curtain on Basquiat’s private life and how it relates to the bigger picture of love, addiction, and fame. Readers also learn more about Suzanne’s experience and how she was not only a muse but a woman coming into her own.
About Widow Basquiat, Dua Lipa shares,
“On one level, Widow Basquiat is a chaotic love story between the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and his lover and muse, Suzanne Mallouk. Just 20 years old when they meet, we witness them hustling to make it in 1980s New York: a place where anything feels possible but that also hides a dark and sinister side of drugs, violence, and racism. The book is also a remarkably deep, tender, and at times, disturbing study of these two young souls—their difficult childhoods, the clubs, bars, and galleries they inhabit, and the forces of ambition, jealousy, and excess that ultimately lead to Basquiat’s death at the age of only 27.
“Today, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art can be seen everywhere from gallery walls to high-top sneakers—and yet, he remains an enigma. This book allowed me to see both the artist and his work in a totally different way, giving insights to the symbols and words that repeat in his paintings and revealing the true creative genius behind the icon. It’s also a thrill to witness the evolution of Suzanne Mallouk—the artist, muse, and bohemian spirit whose light shines so brightly on these pages.”
She goes on to conclude,
“To say I loved Widow Basquiat is an understatement. I’m sure you will too.”
Those who want more can always head over to the Service95 website, where they will find Dua Lipa’s interview with Jennifer Clement. They will also be able to check out an accompanying reading list and playlist, a poem by Clement about Suzanne, and an extract from Will Gompertz’s See What You Are Missing, which dives into the art of Basquiat.
Readers can subscribe to the Service95 Book Club newsletter here.
Check out the Service95 Book Club with Dua Lipa podcast here.
Follow the new Service95 Book Club Instagram here.
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