The Argonauts
 | |
| Author | Maggie Nelson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autotheory |
| Publisher | Graywolf Press |
Publication date | 2015 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 160 |
| Award | National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism (2015) |
| ISBN | 978-1555977078 |
The Argonauts is a book by poet and critic Maggie Nelson, published in 2015. It mixes philosophical theory with memoir.[1]
Contents
The book discusses Nelson's romantic relationship with the transgender artist Harry Dodge and her experience being pregnant with her son Iggy, as well as topics like the death of a parent, transgender embodiment, academia, familial relationships, and the limitations of language.[2] Told in non-chronological vignettes interspersed with quotations, Nelson also explores and criticizes ideas from several philosophers including Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick.[3]
The title is a reference to Roland Barthes' idea that to love someone is similar to an Argonaut who constantly replaces parts of their ship without the ship changing names.[4]
Awards
The Argonauts won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism in 2015.[5][6][7][8] It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for autobiography in 2015, the Folio Prize in 2017,[9] and was a finalist for the Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature in 2016.[10][11]
References
- ^ Als, Hilton (April 11, 2016). "Maggie Nelson's Many Selves". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ Fontenot, Andrea (July 13, 2015). "Unpacking Maggie Nelson's 'The Argonauts'". KCET. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ Marcus, Sara (April 30, 2015). "Review: An intimate look at a fluid family in Maggie Nelson's 'The Argonauts'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Feigel, Lara (March 27, 2016). "The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson review – a radical approach to genre and gender". The Guardian. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Dean, Michelle (March 18, 2016). "Margo Jefferson and Maggie Nelson win National Book Critics Circle Awards". The Guardian. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ "Nelson '94 Receives National Book Critics Circle Award for Argonauts". Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "Maggie Nelson Wins National Book Critics Circle Award". 24700. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "The Argonauts | Graywolf Press". www.graywolfpress.org. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ Cain, Sian (2017-04-06). "Folio prize returns with nonfiction joining novels on the 2017 shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ "The Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature". The Publishing Triangle. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ^ Abi-Karam, Andrea (2016-04-22). "Nathanaël Wins Publishing Triangle Award for Trans & Gender Variant Literature". Nightboat Books. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
