Nick Cave, the book “Susie” dedicated to his wife is coming out
A book entitled will be published on September 16th “Susie” which features “a lyrical portrait of Susie Cave”, with lyrics by Nick Cave and photographs of Dominique Issermann. The contributions in the volume come from Cave, married to Susie since 1999, from the photographer Dominique Issermannby the designer Irma Boom and by Susie herself.
Issermann is a friend of the couple and the photographs presented in the book are the result of years of work together with the Cave couple. Nick also contributes lyrics and words, inspired by his partner over the decades and dating back to their first meeting in 1997.
As well as chronicling Susie’s creativity and her relationship with the Australian musician, the book is also a testament to motherhood, capturing both the devastating loss of a child and the deep comfort Susie has found in what she has left. In July 2015, Susie and Nick’s son, Arthur, he died after falling from a cliff near Brighton at the age of 15. The album of 2019 “Ghosteen” (read the review here) was written in the aftermath of the enormous tragedy.
Susie and Nick said: “This is a book about love, in all its nuances. We are deeply grateful to our beloved friend, the brilliant photographer Dominique Issermann, who discreetly documented our relationship from its beginnings and allowed us to tell this intimate story of family, loss and transformation. We are also grateful to the iconic designer Irma Boom and Thames & Hudson for creating this deeply personal book with such care and respect.”
Tristan de Lanceypublisher and creative director of Thames & Hudsonsaid: “As long-time fans of Nick and Susie, it is an absolute privilege to publish a book so important to them. With personal memories as touching as the photographs themselves, it is a treasured book, appropriately conceived and crafted, that will win over their many fans.”
Nick Cave He has often spoken about the inspiration he drew from Susie, and in 2018 he revealed to fans that he had spent two decades trying to capture her essence in his poetry and lyrics. So much to write: “Twenty years later, I’m still trying to define Susie… but it’s a losing battle. I’ve come to understand that there’s a wild, shifting energy within her that my words can never contain, and that this bright energy is connected to her singular, restless fascination with the world. It has little to do with me. After I married Susie, I began trying to capture her. Writing about Susie is like trying to break a code that constantly rearranges itself. The more often than not, I fail. My songs end up as scraps of paper rustling at the feet of a 60-foot-tall woman.”
