Sarah Manguso Books

The most extraordinary memoir about illness and grief since Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking.

“[Manguso] has written the memoir we didn’t realize we needed.” —The New Yorker In Ongoingness, Sarah Manguso continues to define the contours of the contemporary essay. In it, she confronts a meticulous diary that she has kept for twenty-five years. “I wanted to end each day with a record of everything that had ever happened,” she explains. But this simple statement belies a terror that she might forget something, that she might miss something important. Maintaining that diary, now eight hundred thousand words, had become, until recently, a kind of spiritual practice. Then Manguso became pregnant and had a child, and these two Copernican events generated an amnesia that put her into a different relationship with the need to document herself amid ongoing time. Ongoingness is a spare, meditative work that stands in stark contrast to the volubility of the diary—it is a haunting account of mortality and impermanence, of how we struggle to find clarity in the chaos of time that rushes around and over and through us. “Bold, elegant, and honest . . . Ongoingness reads variously as an addict’s testimony, a confession, a celebration, an elegy.” —The Paris Review “Manguso captures the central challenge of memory, of attentiveness to life . . . A spectacularly and unsummarizably rewarding read.” —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

The story revolves around Harris, a man who tragically lost his life after escaping from a psychiatric hospital. Written as an elegy, it delves into themes of mental health, loss, and the complexities of identity. Through poignant reflections, the author Sarah Manguso captures the emotional weight of Harris's life and death, exploring the impact of his struggles on those left behind. This deeply personal narrative invites readers to contemplate the fragility of existence and the often-unseen battles individuals face.

A moving, lyrical memoir of pregnancy and becoming a mother from a daring new voice, for fans of Maggie Nelson and Deborah Levy.

An elegiac ode to love, death, and profound friendship, from the author of The Two Kinds of Decay

Offering a welcoming approach to poetry, Sarah Manguso combines beauty and intellect with a touch of humor, making her work accessible to those hesitant about the genre. Her writing resonates with the warmth of familiar voices like David Berman and Tony Hoagland, inviting readers to engage with poetry without the intimidation often associated with it. This collection aims to bridge the gap for poetry newcomers, potentially rekindling their interest in the art form through its relatable and witty style.

A combined book of Ongoingness and 300 Arguments, two daring works by Sarah Manguso, presented together in a rare reversible single edition.

A brilliant and exhilarating sequence of aphorisms from one of our greatest essayists.

Acclaimed writer Sarah Manguso makes her fiction debut with an icy, furious novel about the way in which a society can ignore and enable the abuse of young women, narrated by the daughter of just such an abusive mother.

Featuring the whimsical inquiries of children, this collection showcases the imaginative and often humorous perspectives they hold. Through the artistry of Liana Finck, a celebrated New Yorker cartoonist, the book brings to life the poignant and curious thoughts that reflect the wonder of childhood.