Sophie Calle: True Stories

More about the book

First published in French in 1994 and now expanded in this first English-language edition, "True Stories" features a collection of short autobiographical texts and photographs by Sophie Calle. Known for drawing from her own life, Calle presents a work that serves as both a visual memoir and a meditation on the significance of photographs and personal belongings. The initial section reflects on various objects—like a shoe and a postcard—and muses on the artist's body, exemplified in "The Love Letter," where Calle describes commissioning a love letter from a public scribe, highlighting the blend of intimacy and distance in her work. The second section, "The Husband," recounts ten episodes from her first marriage, mixing humor, eroticism, and sadness, such as the amusing anecdote of a date that was a year late. The book also includes a series of autobiographical tales and concludes with three interconnected stories titled "Monique." This edition features five new photo-text presentations, marking the first English translation of Calle's poignant and fragmentary exploration of her life. Calle, born in 1953, is a renowned French writer and artist, with notable works including "The Address Book" and "Blind."