About Time

(Hardback)

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Description

David Duchovny's seventh published - and first poetic - work covers a range of intimate themes and topics, including love, the loss of love, parenting, Duchovny's own parents (in particular his father, who looms large throughout the work), alienation, and other emotional quandaries. Fans of Duchovny's fiction will recognize the insightful and clever play of words that, in this new form, distill to an emotionally impactful portrayal of what the author holds most dear. Duchovny's approach to poetry is beautifully (and, typically, humorously) encapsulated in his introduction to the work, in which he writes: Poetry is not useful. And that is exactly why we need it. It reminds us of two important things: our ultimate lack of agency (unpopular to say, I know) and our inability to say anything plain, our inability to capture what it means to be human with the imperfect tool of words; we come face-to-face with ourselves, for in the end we will all die and be forgotten, and come away with nothing, nothing in the way of utility anyway, no talking points, no bullet points, no propaganda, no resolutions, no policy, no knowledge. If anything, maybe we remember a few lines, take it to heart, the lustres or 'touchstones' Matthew Arnold called them, the greatest riffs, and they lie there modestly swaying in the seabed of our mind, barnacled and semi-ghostly; something like an adult nursery rhyme, something like a pop song from the collective unconscious, something like wisdom. You see, I wanted to say it plain, but out comes that torrent of modifiers and adjustments, denials, double negatives, shading, stabs at wit, backpedaling, playing at capturing the lightning. Maybe this time. Maybe that's what a poem is - maybe this time, that glorious feeling of maybe this time I'll get it right. If that's the case, that seems a worthy enterprise to me. You see, I got somewhere, but the way back is unclear - that's a good enough definition of poetry for now. No, it's not. Duchovny's efforts at achieving such clarity range in this collection from laser-sharp, single-sentence poems to emotionally sweeping song lyrics. With About Time - perhaps his most personal work to date - Duchovny continues his journey as one of the most prolific creators of his generation.

Reviews

Evocative, chilly prose that wouldn't be out of place in a late Don DeLillo novel. Like his previous novels Bucky F*cking Dent and Miss Subways, it's a love letter to Duchovny's native New York. But it's also a smart story about obsession. A slim, compelling tale of a man on the brink.-- "Kirkus Reviews, on The Reservoir"
In the former X-Files actor's fifth [book], a lonely ex-financier stuck in his apartment during the Covid-19 pandemic becomes obsessed with the Central Park Reservoir and slowly goes mad.-- "New York Times, on The Reservoir"

Author Bio

DAVID DUCHOVNY is an award-winning actor, director, New York Times best-selling author, and singer-songwriter. With an acting career spanning more than three decades, Duchovny is a two-time Golden Globe winner and four-time Emmy nominee. His novels include Truly Like Lightning, Holy Cow, The Reservoir (novella), Miss Subways, and Bucky F*cking Dent which Duchovny adapted into the film Reverse the Curse. The film, directed by Duchovny, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. As a musician, Duchovny has released three studio albums: Hell or Highwater, Every Third Thought, and Gestureland. He is the host of the podcast Fail Better.