I Always Knew: A Memoir

I Always Knew is a captivating and inspiring look at the life of Barbara Chase-Riboud,a celebrated artist and writer whose work is now in museum collections around the world. The book is a collection of intimate letters she wrote to her mother,Vivian Mae,between 1957 and 1991,that reveal her life in Europe, her work as an artist, her romances, and her journeys around the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 480 pages
Publication date: 04 October 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Barbara Chase-Riboud, a celebrated artist and writer, has led an extraordinary life. After graduating from Yales School of Design and Architecture, she moved to Europe and spent decades traveling the world and living at the center of artistic, literary, and political circles. She became a renowned artist whose work is now in museum collections around the world. Later, she also became an award-winning poet and bestselling novelist. Along the way, she met many luminaries, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Salvador Dalí, Alexander Calder, James Baldwin, and Mao Zedong.

I Always Knew is an intimate and vivid portrait of Chase-Riboud's life, as told through the letters she wrote to her mother, Vivian Mae, between 1957 and 1991. In candid detail, Chase-Riboud tells her mother about her life in Europe, her work as an artist, her romances, and her journeys around the world, from Western and Eastern Europe to the Middle East, Africa, the Soviet Union, China, and Mongolia.

By turns brilliant and naïve, passionate and tender, poignant and funny, these letters show Chase-Riboud in the process of becoming who she is and who she might become. But what emerges most of all is the powerful story of a unique and remarkable relationship between a talented, ambitious, and courageous daughter and her adored mother.

Chase-Riboud's letters to her mother are a testament to the strength of love and the power of communication. They reveal the depth of her emotions, her struggles, and her triumphs, and they offer a glimpse into the complex and fascinating woman she became.

In conclusion, Barbara Chase-Riboud's life story is an extraordinary testament to the power of creativity, determination, and the enduring bond between a mother and daughter. Through her letters to her mother, we are able to witness her journey from a young girl with dreams to a renowned artist, poet, and novelist, and we are left with a profound appreciation for the remarkable woman she was.

Weight: 906g
Dimension: 165 x 241 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691234274