Vivian

‘Vivian is a fascinating, ingeniously constructed piece of documentary fiction. The novel’s short sections illuminate Vivian Maier in brilliant flashes without ever dispelling her singular mystery.’
— Adam Foulds, author of Dream Sequence

‘Christina Hesselholdt transposes one of the greatest enigmas of twentieth century photography, Vivian Maier, with a synaesthetic delicacy. Part eerie acapella of confessions, part hoarder’s clippings come to life, Hesselholdt’s exceptional work on the life of Vivian Maier is as rare and roguish as the artist herself.’
— Yelena Moskovich, author of Virtuoso

‘Like its protagonist, this ambling story relishes the connective, startling minutiae of the commonplace encounter. ... Out of Vivian’s torrent of travel, homelife, and familial resentment, Hesselholdt provides flashes of odd loveliness.’ 
— Zack Hatfield, ArtForum

‘Only the second of Hesselholdt’s works to be translated into English — adroitly so by Paul Russell Garrett — this fragmented, polyphonic novel plays with the enigma of its subject: “Vivian”, “Viv”, “Vivienne”, “Miss Maier”, “Kiki”, “V. Smith”, depending on the scene or her mood. ... Never sacrificing the opacity that makes Maier so fascinating, [Vivian] is as strange and mercurial as the inscrutable figure at its centre, and as prickly too. But then, as Hesselholdt has Vivian explain to one of her small charges, “Art is not somewhere you feel comfortable.”’ 
— Lucy Scholes, Financial Times

‘Hesselholdt brings Maier to life, luminously: looking down into the viewfinder on the top of her Rolleiflex camera, seeing the image for the first and last time.’ 
— Tom Overton, frieze

‘Vivian is less than two hundred pages long, but it is filled to the brim with memories and suppositions. Christina Hesselholdt wonderfully illustrates Vivian Maier’s complex persona through a multitude of voices demanding to be heard.’
— Laila Obeidat, London Magazine

‘Skilfully told through multiple perspectives, confessions and thought fragments, Vivian is an outsider’s tale of creativity, urbanity and loneliness, written with sensitivity and intelligence.’
— Sam Whyte, Buzz Magazine 

‘Bringing together features of the essay, literary biography, and historical fiction, Hesselholdt ... offers intriguing moments for those craving insight into the life of an artist.’
— Publisher’s Weekly

‘Playful, tricksy.’
— Rachel Cooke, Observer