11 book recommendations from Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens has been gracing us with his heartfelt songwriting since 1999, the year he released A Sun Game, his myth-clad infusion of traditional folk songs, close-miked grunge tunes and experimental instrumentals. Even then, it was obvious Sufjan wasn’t going to be easily pigeonholed, and that very much remains the case today. Though he is perhaps best known for 2013’s Carrie and Lowell and his popular contributions to Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name, two of Stevens’ US State albums, Michigan and Illinois, are protean to the core. Below, the singer-songwriter recommends some of his favourite books.
Back in 2021, Sufjan made a post on his Tumblr blog in which he outlined his favourite books of the year. The list is well worth examining as it features a diverse range of titles, from memoirs like Crying in H Mart by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner to the diaries and notebooks of The Talented Mr Ripley author Patricia Highsmith. Laid out in “no particular order”, it provides a useful cross-section of Stevens’s literary tastes and reading habits.
One of Stevens’ notable inclusions is number six, The Bible, which he describes as “a hot mess. Mother & Father issues ensue. Spoiler alert: Jesus dies at the end”. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Sufjan recommends GQ Magazine by explaining: “I don’t actually read this filth, but the graphic design is absolute bonkers”. Stevens also cites The Monks of New Skete’s How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend, “Because I’m a cliché and I got a puppy during the pandemic. And it’s OK to focus all that repressed sexual energy into dog training. It really works. A+”
Make sure you check out the full list of Sufjan’s book recommendations below. Some have been removed from Stevens’s original post because the title was unspecified.
11 book recommendations from Sufjan Stevens
- James Merill, A Whole World: Letters from James Merrill
- Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries & Notebooks 1941-1995
- Heather Clark, Red Comet: The Short Life & Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
- Truman Capote, Portraits & Observations
- The Bible
- Lydia Davis, Essays Two
- David Sedaris, A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020)
- Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart
- The Monks of New Skete, How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend
- Marcel Dzama, Pink Moon
- Joan Didion, Let Me Tell You What I Mean
Sufjan also includes Marcel Dzama’s stunning Pink Moon, a collection of surrealist artworks contained within a beautifully designed booklet. Stevens provided a rendition of Nick Cave’s ‘Pink Moon’, which was included alongside Hannah Peel’s reimagining of the 1972 track on a special vinyl release. In our review of the collection, Far Out wrote: “Dzama’s moons…cannot be pinned down to one purpose or personality. While some are cantankerous, others are melancholy – their groove-laden faces betraying something akin to loneliness. Other times, they are puppeteer tricksters, staring down on stages set with props and players.”
