Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma

In the introduction to Monsters, Claire Dederer recollects an adage from poet William Emerson, "life involves maintaining oneself between contradictions that can't be solved by analysis." Dederer wants to know what to do with bad behavior — monstrous behavior — and good — even excellent — art. Can the audience think themself out of that contradiction? Can they feel their way out? Do they just have to sit there… maintaining? What do we (you, I) do with the personal feelings of betrayal? What about the amplified echoes of collective outrage? I can imagine no finer voice to walk through this contradiction alongside. In Monsters, Dederer is insightful, passionate, funny, and somehow managed to re-enliven the conversation about separating artist and art into something fresh and vital. Recommended By Sarah R., Powells.com

A passionate, provocative, blisteringly smart interrogation of how we make and experience art in the age of #MeToo, and of the link between genius and monstrosity. — From the author of the New York Times best seller Poser and the acclaimed memoir Love and Trouble

"Thrillingly sharp, appropriately doubtful, and more fun than you would believe, given the pressing seriousness of the subject matter." —Nick Hornby, best-selling author of High Fidelity

In this unflinching, deeply personal book that expands on her instantly viral Paris Review essay, "What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?" Claire Dederer asks: Can we love the work of Hemingway, Polanski, Naipaul, Miles Davis, or Picasso? Should we love it? Does genius deserve special dispensation? Is male monstrosity the same as female monstrosity? Does art have a mandate to depict the darker elements of the psyche? And what happens if the artist stares too long into the abyss?

She explores the audience's relationship with artists from Woody Allen to Michael Jackson, asking: How do we balance our undeniable sense of moral outrage with our equally undeniable love of the work? In a more troubling vein, she wonders if an artist needs to be a monster in order to create something great. And if an artist is also a mother, does one identity inexorably, and fatally, interrupt the other? Highly topical, morally wise, honest to the core, Monsters is certain to incite a conversation about whether and how we can separate artists from their art.

"Bringing erudition, emotion, and a down-to-earth style to this pressing problem, Dederer presents her finest work to date...Dederer's analysis includes both usual and unusual suspects, often with remarkably original angles." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Contemplative and willing to tackle the hard questions head on, this pulls no punches." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"In a world that wants you to think less — that wants, in fact, to do your thinking for you, Monsters is that rare work, beyond a book, that reminds you of your sentience. It's wise and bold and full of the kind of gravitas that might even rub off." Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women

"An exhilarating, shape-shifting exploration of the perilous boundaries between art and life. This timely book inhabits both the marvelous and the monstrous with generosity and wit." Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation

"Monsters is an incredible book, the best work of criticism I have read in a very long time. It's thrillingly sharp, appropriately doubtful, and more fun than you would believe, given the pressing seriousness of the subject matter. Claire Dederer's mind is a wonder, her erudition too; I now want her to apply them to everything I'm interested in so I can think about them differently." Nick Hornby, author of High Fidelity

"A blisteringly erudite and entertaining read. Dederer holds the moral ambiguity of her subject matter, landing her arguments with precision and flair. It's a book that deserves to be widely read and will provoke many conversations." Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall

"Slyly funny, emotionally honest, and full of raw passion, Claire Dederer's important book about what to do when artists you love do things you hate breaks new ground, making a complex cultural conversation feel brand new. Monsters elegantly takes on far more than 'cancel culture' — it offers new insights into love, ambition, and what it means to be an artist, a citizen, and a human being." Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis

Claire Dederer is the author of Love and Trouble, and the New York Times best-selling memoir Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses, which has been translated into twelve languages. A book critic, essayist, and reporter, Dederer is a longtime contributor to The New York Times and has also written for The Atlantic, Vogue, Slate, The Nation, and New York magazine. She lives near Seattle with her family.