Blue Self-Portrait

On a flight from Berlin to Paris, a woman haunted by composer Arnold Schoenberg's self-portrait reflects on her romantic encounter with a pianist. Obsessive, darkly comic, & full of angst, Blue Self-Portrait unfolds among Berlin's cultural institutions, but is located in the mid-air flux between contrary impulses, with repetitions & variations that explore the possibilities & limitations of art, history, & connection.

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“These subjects, ranging from anxiety that his sexual desirability is dependent on his girlfriend imagining she’s sleeping with the next Schoenberg, to the paralysing effect of nazism on art, to beautiful insights into the compositional process, ensure that the book is no melancholic meditation on lost loves. For a comparatively short novel, Blue Self-Portrait yokes together an extraordinary profusion of ideas."—Eimear McBride, The Guardian

“Were we to note the musical expression with which Blue Self-Portrait is performed, it would be con bravura, or even scatenato: unchained, wildly.”—BOMB Magazine

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Noémi Lefebvre is a multitalented writer. She studied music, received a PhD in music education & national identity in France & Germany, & has worked as a researcher in political science. Writing is not her full-time job and, as she says in her own words, “I’m not a writer; I write.” Lefebvre makes the case for the joy of writing, as one might take pleasure in a hobby that one is passionate about. Having already written 5 critically acclaimed novels, Lefebvre’s hobby reveals not only her protean talent but her originality. The power of her writing comes from a willingness to wrestle with major questions with an intelligent, curious, & open mind. Even as she tackles serious subjects, her dexterity & humor create a joyous sensation as we follow the twists & turns of her ideas. It is rare that a writer can combine the playful & profound with such skill.