Faith, Hope and Carnage

THE SUNDAY TIMES MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEARA TELEGRAPH BEST MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEARA NEW STATESMAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Faith, Hope and Carnage is a book about Nick Cave's inner life.Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with the journalist Seán O'Hagan, this is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave's own words, of what really drives his life and creativity.The book examines questions of belief, art, music, freedom, grief and love. It draws candidly on Cave's life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic and his dramatic transformation in recent years.Faith, Hope and Carnage offers ladders of hope and inspiration from a true creative visionary.

Illuminating . . . a great deal of beauty in Cave's descriptions of the "strange reckless power" that comes when the worst has happened . . . if it meets a need for Cave, it also feels like a gift to the reader, An extraordinary, uplifting book . . . This is a book you could dip into if you had no knowledge of Cave at all, just to find someone unafraid to ask all the big questions: what is grief? What is forgiveness? . . . Everyday carnage has brought forth a book of hope and freedom and life, This beautiful book is a lament, a celebration, a howl, a secular prayer, a call to arms, a meditation & an exquisite articulation of the human condition. It will take your breath away, An absolutely wonderful book. I don't think I've ever read so integrated and searching an engagement with how faith works, how creativity works, and how grief is bound up with both, A fascinating read . . . O'Hagan is skilled at drilling down to discover the most interesting conversational nubs, but it is Cave's words that are the star of the show. The man talks like he is writing poetry and the manner in which he describes making music is sure to delight both fans and casual listeners

Nick Cave has been performing music for more than forty years and is best known as the songwriter and lead singer of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, whose latest album Ghosteen was widely received as their best work ever. Cave's body of work also covers a wider range of media and modes of expression including film score composition, ceramic sculpture and writing novels. Over the last few years his The Red Hand Files website and 'In Conversation' live events have seen Cave exploring deeper and more direct relationships with his fans. Seán O'Hagan is an award-winning journalist who has interviewed many major artists, writers and musicians over the last four decades. He currently works as a feature writer for the Observer and is photography critic for the Guardian.