In this brilliant and sobering self-portrait, Edouard Lev? hides nothing from his readers, setting out his entire life, more or less at random, in a string of declarative sentences. "Autoportrait" is a physical, psychological, sexual, political, and philosophical triumph. Beyond "sincerity," Lev? works toward an objectivity so radical it could pass for crudeness, triviality, even banality: the author has stripped himself bare. With the force of a set of maxims or morals, Lev?'s prose seems at first to be an autobiography without sentiment, as though written by a machine--until, through the accumulation of detail, and the author's dry, quizzical tone, we find ourselves disarmed, enthralled, and enraptured by nothing less than the perfect fiction... made entirely of facts.

A brilliant and sobering self-portrait made up entirely of facts, and a companion to the harrowing book Suicide.

About the Author
Edouard Leve was born on January 1, 1965 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A writer, photographer, and visual artist, Leve was the author of four books of writing-"Oeuvres", "Journal", "Autoportrait", and "Suicide"-and three books of photographs. "Suicide", published in 2008, was his final book. Edouard Lev was born on January 1, 1965 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A writer, photographer, and visual artist, Lev was the author of four books of writing "Oeuvres", "Journal", "Autoportrait", and "Suicide" and three books of photographs. "Suicide", published in 2008, was his final book.

Reviews
"I'll go ahead and call [Autoportrait] a work of genius..." -Wayne Koestenbaum, Bookforum "Autoportrait is a delight the first time around and only gets better upon rereading or being read alongside Leve's other works." -Words Without Borders "...a beguiling and sui generis self-portrait..." -The Paris Review


Awards
Commended for Best Translated Book Award (Fiction) 2013.



Book Information
ISBN 9781564787071
Author Edouard Leve
Format Paperback
Page Count 120
Imprint Dalkey Archive Press
Publisher Dalkey Archive Press
Weight(grams) 136g