Patti Smith talks about her memoir, “Angels Bread,” fifty years after her first album, “Horses,” appeared.

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Patti Smith’s debut album, “Horses,” was released fifty years ago, on November 10, 1975, launching her into stardom almost overnight. The anniversary reissue was released this year to rave reviews. However, Smith’s intention was never to be a rock star: she was a published poet before “Horses” was released, and also wrote a play with Sam Shepard. The music was an afterthought, she says, a way to make her poetry readings stand out. “I didn’t want to be boring,” she told David Remnick. In recent years, perhaps more people know Smith as a writer than as a musician. Her memoir “Just Kids,” about her friendship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, won the National Book Award. “M Train” reflected on her withdrawal from music while raising her family. In her most recent memoir, “Angels Bread,” Smith writes intimately about the loss of her husband, brother, and close friends. She also shares a startling discovery about her family and past. It’s a book that challenged her and took her years to write. “I write prolifically — novels, fairy tales, all kinds of things that haven’t even been published — without any interest,” she says. “When writing a memoir, and involving other people in it, one has to be really wise, and look into oneself and make sure one is presenting the right picture.”

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