From the critically acclaimed artist designer and author of the bestsellers The Principles of
Uncertainty My Favorite Things and Women Holding Things comes a moving meditation in words
and pictures on remorse joy ancestry and memory. Maira Kalman's most autobiographical and
intimate work to date Still Life with Remorse is a beautiful four-color collection combining
deeply personal stories and 50 striking full-color paintings in the vein of her and Alex
Kalman's acclaimed Women Holding Things. Tracing her family's story from her grandfather's
birth in Belarus and emigration to Tel Aviv--where she was born--Maira considers her unique
family history illuminating the complex relationship between recollection regret happiness
and heritage. The vibrant original art accompanying these autobiographical pieces are mostly
still lifes and interiors which serve as counterpoints to her powerful words. In addition to
vignettes exploring her Israeli and Jewish roots Kalman includes short stories about other
great artists writers and composers including Leo Tolstoy Franz Kafka Gustav Mahler and
Robert Schumann. Through these narratives Kalman uses her signature wit and tenderness to
reveal how family history plays an influential role in all of our work lives and
perspectives. A feat of visual storytelling and vulnerability Still Life with Remorse explores
the profound hidden in the quotidian and illuminates the powerful universal truths in our most
personal family stories.
