The Promised Party - by Jennifer Clement

Book Synopsis

An ultra-vivid, carnivalesque memoir of Jennifer Clement's early life from 60s Mexico to 80s New York City - the prequel to Widow Basquiat

Growing up in '60s Mexico City, Jennifer Clement lived next door to Frida Kahlo's house. It was an unorthodox and bohemian childhood, living alongside artists, communists, revolutionaries and poets, and one that allowed an awakening of creative freedom and curiosity about the world.

Leaving behind the revolutions in Latin America for the burgeoning counter-culture scene in '80s New York, Clement quickly became a fixture on the art scene, inhabiting the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Colette Lumiere and William Burroughs, and frequenting The Mudd Club, Danceteria and Studio 54.

From the author of cult classic Widow Basquiat, this memoir is a tale of two cities and their artists. It recreates the fury, ecstasy and danger that made '70s Mexico City and '80s New York two of the greatest places to be young, free and alive.

Review Quotes

"Clement has lived a life like no other, and made of it a shimmering mosaic, a masterpiece, which is this book. With an artist's eye and a poet's pen, she has intimately detailed her journey between Mexico City and New York, along with all the magic and fame and ghosts and glitter of the age. Utterly spectacular on every page. I'm thunderstruck. Read it."--ANDREW SEAN GREER

"Praise for Widow Basquiat: Engrossing"-- "The Times"

"A vivid portrait of Basquiat, powerfully evoking his inventiveness as an artist"-- "Independent on Sunday"

"Clement's vision of the world is like no other's. Beneath her gaze, the "real" is stripped bare to reveal the fantastic that exists in every breath of life. In her prose, the mundane explodes into flame. The Promised Party is a time capsule to all artists henceforth about what matters"--RICK BASS, author of WHY I CAME WEST

"The kind of book that makes you want to take the next flight to New York"-- "Big Issue"

About the Author

Jennifer Clement is the author of multiple books, including Widow Basquiat and Gun Love, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her books have been translated into more than forty languages around the world. Clement is also the recipient of many awards including the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award, the Gran Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE in France, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship and her books have twice been a New York Times Editor's Choice Book. As of 2022, she completed her six-year term as the President of PEN International and the first woman to be elected since the organisation was founded in 1921. She spends her time between Mexico and New York.