The Blue Period: A Novel

Review “In rich, color-infused passages…Kummer’s descriptions of Paris at the turn of the century and the emotional turmoil within fame-destined Pablo create a quixotic tone that fans of lush biographical fiction will find especially alluring.” ― Booklist “ The Blue Period takes the reader from the alleys and soot-covered buildings of Barcelona to the four-story beige-brick #49 on Rue Gabrielle and the studio that housed Picasso, Casagemas, Gargallo and other women, adding architectural and atmospheric detail along the way.” ―Historical Novel Society “Written in a thoughtful and engaging style, it gives insight to Picasso’s struggles to make a name for himself.” ― Prime Women “Fiction, especially well-researched historical fiction like Kummer’s novel, gives us such insight into the thoughts, experiences, and outcomes of those who came before us. I found reading The Blue Period altered my appreciation of Picasso’s early work. It really helped me, a person who has a hard time putting myself in an artist’s shoes, to ‘feel’ the art and understand it as a rendering of what life was like then.” ― The Novel Tourist “Luke Jerod Kummer’s tenderly crafted portrait of Picasso as a young artist, just starting out in a foreign country and grieving a great loss, cuts through the stereotypical bravado so often associated with the artist to add richly shaded layers of emotion, insight, and smartly noticed detail.” ―Rachel Corbett, author of You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin “Lusciously written and deeply imaginative, Kummer’s debut is an edgy, elegant reimagining of a period in Picasso’s life that forever changed the art world. It takes readers from the heat of Spain to the underbelly of Paris, as we follow the artist through friendship, dizzying infatuation, sex, and tragedy as he tries to claw his way to success. A book that feels as passionate and bold as Picasso himself.” ―Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years “Luke Jerod Kummer’s The Blue Period is a vivid, well-researched recreation of the world from which a great artist emerged and a richly imagined meditation on the relationships and tragedies that shaped both his life and his art.” ―John Biguenet, author of Oyster and The Torturer’s Apprentice “Like the subject of this eloquent and incisive novel, Kummer proves himself a true artist with a top-rate imagination and a special gift for dialogue and description. An historian with artistic sensibilities, he paints a complete and colorful picture of Picasso during this period, ensuring a deeper understanding of him for future generations. This important debut novel shows that Kummer may have immortality in him as well.” ―Eddie Chuculate, author of Cheyenne Madonna “It follows Pablo Picasso’s early adult years and the tragic romance that nearly destroyed him―and also gave him his first great artistic inspiration. Definitely a good addition to any reading list for a lovely fall afternoon.” ―Jennifer Dasal, host of the ArtCurious Podcast “I was mesmerized by this book from page one. The author did such a good job of conveying character and setting that I thought I was right there with Picasso in Spain and then in Paris. And I felt as though I was experiencing what Picasso went through and how he felt. This is not a happy book but one that demonstrates that one relationship, even with a friend, can change a life forever. There is absolutely no sentimentality or patronizing of the reader here. The journey is rocky and sad, but so worth taking.” ―Ann Howard Creel, author of The Whiskey Sea and The River Widow About the Author Luke Jerod Kummer has worked as a reporter, an editor, and a travel writer. His nonfiction pieces have appeared in the New York Times , the Washington Post , New York magazine, New Republic , the Washingtonian , and the Village Voice . This is his first novel.