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Vendor
Liepman Literary Agency
Marc Koralnik
Original language
English

A HISTORY OF MY BRIEF BODY

Billy-Ray Belcourt

For readers of Ocean Vuong and Maggie Nelson and fans of Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, this is a brave, raw, and fiercely intelligent collection of essays and vignettes on grief, colonial violence, joy, love, and queerness.
For readers of Ocean Vuong and Maggie Nelson, A History of My Brief Body is a literary work of genius which opens with a tender letter from Billy-Ray to his kokum (Cree for grandmother) with memories of his early life in the Driftpile First Nation and expands to encompass the big and broken world, in all its complexity and contradictions. With startling honesty, and in a voice distinctly and assuredly his own, Belcourt situates his life experiences within a constellation of seminal queer texts, among which this book is sure to earn its place. Eye-opening, intensely emotional, and excessively quotable, A History of My Brief Body demonstrates over and over again the power of words to both devastate and console us.

A History of My Brief Body was published in Canada by Hamish Hamilton and in the US by Two Dollar Radio, both this summer. Rights have already been sold in ANZ (University of Queensland Press), Italy (Black Coffee Press), and Turkey (Sander). A History of My Brief Body is a bestseller in Canada and has received only adoration and critical acclaim, from authors and media alike.
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Published by Hamish Hamilton

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Black Coffee Press

Two Dollar Radio

A History of My Brief Body featured in All the LGBTQ Books That Are Changing the Literary Landscape in 2020! Read more...

Sander

"“In sharp pieces infused with a yearning for decolonized love and freedom, Belcourt, of the Driftpile Cree Nation, ably balances poetic, philosophical, and political insights throughout this unique book . . An urgently needed, unyielding book of theoretical and intimate strength." -Starred review from Kirkus

“A rallying cry for freedom. The ongoingness of resilience demands a manifesto, and here it is: ‘Joy is art is an ethics of Resistance.'

University of Queensland Press

“A History of My Brief Body is a breathtaking literary rebellion against the brutalization and simplification of NDN existence, establishing as resistance joy in creativity and its ability to invent worlds.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review