Life of David Hockney: A Novel
by Catherine Cusset
Translated from the French by Teresa Lavender Fagan
Other Press. 192 pages, $15.99
THIS BRIEF, charming novel blends fiction and biography in the genre of “biofiction” to tell the life story of artist David Hockney from childhood to recent years, in the process capturing the evolution of his art, career, and relationships.
Author Catherine Cusset explains in her prologue to Life of David Hockney that “this is a novel. All the facts are true, but I have imagined feelings, thoughts, and dialogue,” drawn from many sources, including “autobiographies, biographies, interviews, essays, films, and articles.” A select bibliography of works used “given in order of importance” is included at the end, showing how much research Cusset undertook in preparing to write this novel.
