I Remember (book)

I Remember is a 1970 memoir written by author and artist Joe Brainard, depicting his childhood in the 1940s and '50s in Oklahoma as well as his life in the '60s and '70s in New York City.

I Remember

Author	Joe Brainard
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Angel Hair
Publication date	1970
ISBN	0140245219
Followed by	I Remember More

Brainard followed I Remember with I Remember More (1972) and More I Remember More (1973), both published by Angel Hair.[1]

Reception

I Remember is Brainard's best-known work. Paul Auster said the memoir was "one of the few totally original books I have ever read."[2]

I Remember has inspired many homages, none more notable than OuLiPian Georges Perec's Je me souviens which was dedicated to Brainard.[3] Poet Kenneth Koch was the first to utilize I Remember in the classroom as a prompt in teaching children to write poetry. The simplicity of the form has had great appeal to both writers and teachers, and most who use it are unaware of its origins.

In 1998 filmmaker Avi Zev Weider premiered his short film I Remember at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, an adaptation of Brainard's book, went on to play over 25 film festivals worldwide. Novelist Paul Auster was the Executive Producer on the film. The film stars John Cameron Mitchell and Liam Aiken.

In 2012 filmmaker Matt Wolf released the short I Remember: A Film About Joe Brainard using archival film footage and recordings of Brainard's readings.[4]

In 2014 Mexican author Margo Glantz wrote Yo también me acuerdo.

References Miller, Andrew H. (October 3, 2019). "B-Sides: Joe Brainard's "I Remember". Public Books. Retrieved October 15, 2020. Brainard, Joe (2001). I Remember. New York City: Granary Books. p. Back cover. I Remember is a masterpiece. One by one, the so-called important books of our time will be forgotten, but Joe Brainard's modest little gem will endure. In simple, forthright, declarative sentences, he charts the map of the human soul and permanently alters the way we look at the world. I Remember is both uproariously funny and deeply moving. It is also one of the few totally original books I have ever read. Padgett, Ron. (2004). Joe: A Memoir of Joe Brainard Archived 2009-06-09 at the Wayback Machine. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press. Wolf, Matt. "About the Film – I Remember – A Film About Joe Brainard". Archived from the original on 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2012-08-11.