The World Got Away: A Memoir

Mikel Rouse is a composer known for his innovative operas and ability to blend pop vernaculars with avant-garde music. His memoir, "The World Got Away," channels his high energy personality into an account of the precarity and pleasures of artistic creation, highlighting the importance of talent, work, and luck in a creative life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 07 May 2024
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

One of the most innovative composers of his generation, Mikel Rouse is renowned for his trilogy of operas, which includes Dennis Cleveland, and his ability to seamlessly blend pop vernaculars with avant-garde music. This memoir captures Rouse's vibrant personality, channeling it into an exuberant account of the challenges and joys of artistic creation. Rouse, a raconteur, starving artist, witty observer, and acclaimed musician, emerged from the legendary art world of 1980s New York to build a forty-year career defined by stage and musical successes, boundless creativity, and a support network of famous faces, loyal allies, and high art hustlers.

Through his memoir, Rouse takes readers on a journey through the hardscrabble life of a working artist, while also shedding light on the unromantic reality that a project's reception can depend on a talented cast and crew, as well as reliable air conditioning. Candid and hilarious, The World Got Away is a one-of-a-kind account of a creative life fueled by talent, hard work, and luck.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252087912