Just Kids by Patti Smith

These excerpts originate from Patti Smith's memoir, Just Kids, chronicling her early life and transformative relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. The text details Smith’s childhood, her evolving spiritual and artistic sensibilities, and her eventual move to New York City where she struggled to establish herself while connecting with the burgeoning art and music scenes. A significant portion of the narrative focuses on the intense, complex, and symbiotic partnership between Smith and Mapplethorpe, documenting their mutual commitment to art, their shared poverty in places like the Chelsea Hotel, and Mapplethorpe's development as a photographer, which was significantly aided by collector Sam Wagstaff. The memoir concludes by describing Smith’s entry into the music world and her eventual parting from Mapplethorpe as he succumbs to illness, yet emphasizing their lasting bond as artistic muses and closest companions.