Myself , Delia and Margery - a trinity of the sacred and profane , sinners and saints of a kind. Three defiant women with our individual, unconventional attitude to life. Untameable spirits, progressive thinkers living within the inherent societal constraints of our times.
In 2018 Cosey Fanni Tutti received a commission to write the soundtrack to a film about Delia Derbyshire, the pioneering electronic composer who influenced the likes of Aphex Twin and the Chemical Brothers. While researching Delia's life, Cosey became immersed in Derbyshire's story and uncovered some fascinating parallels with her own life. At the same time Cosey began reading about Margery Kempe, the 15th century mystic visionary who wrote the first English language autobiography.
Re-sisters is the story of three women consumed by their passion for life, a passion they expressed through music, art and lifestyle; they were undaunted by the consequences they faced in pursuit of enriching their lives, and fiercely challenged the societal and cultural norms of their time.
The book, available in paperback, hardback and limited special edition, can be pre-ordered now.
Published by Faber on 18 August, the book will be a "vital meditation on womanhood, creativity and self-expression, and a revelatory exploration into the lives of three visionary artists".
Published by Faber, available in hardback, e-book, audiobook & special limited edition. BUY NOW
of Cosey’s new RE-SISTERS book.
Only 300 copies available.
BUY HERE
Faber – Bleep – Rough Trade – Resident Music – Monorail
Re-Sisters Limited Edition box contains a fine bound copy of the book, signed on page one by the author and numbered by hand; a pewter erotic pilgrim brooch with Re-Sisters waveform motif, in a velvet pouch; and an audio tape cassette with Music to Read By composed and performed by Cosey Fanni Tutti in a colour printed cardboard sleeve. The box will be supplied wrapped in kraft paper with a label, numbered by hand to match the number of the book in the series.
Reviews, Interviews & Quotes
‘Tutti has proved to be as fearless, knowledgable and incisive a writer of words as she has been a left-field experimental artist.’ Book Review in The Guardian
'What links all three of us in this book is we didn’t want to submit to what was laid out for us. We wanted a way out' Interview for The Guardian
'Never self-serving. Always full of active curiosity about the ways distant artists compel and ignite us [The book] emanates an enthralling power.' 4 Stars Jude Rogers, MOJO Magazine
'Tutti’s gift here — and it’s a gift wrought from personal experience — is in recognising what they did, not that they did it despite difficulties.' Freq Magazine
'This engaging entwining of lives is about defying your place as a woman, the freedom to define yourself, and preserving yourself among stultifying societal norms and patriarchal belittlement and aggressions [...] Ultimately, what comes through, and is truly inspiring, is strength of character, strength of creativity - true fortitude, no least in the face of trauma [...] They all transcend those experiences and are truly alive in this book.' The Wire
‘A fascinating tale of the interlinking lives of three legendary trailblazers.’ Salena Godden
‘Cosey Fanni Tutti has lived the life and has the stories to tell: not just hers, but those of two other still unheralded female pioneers.’ Jon Savage
‘Passionate, original and fiercely defiant.’ Rupert Thomson
‘Awe-inspiring. Read these revelatory portraits: this book is for anybody who wants to discover the work of three women who, without fanfare, have enriched our world.’ Robert Wyatt
'It would be wrong to peg Re-sisters as just another book about female resourcefulness and resilience. It is much more complicated than that, and more honest. The voice is plain, colloquial, as if your friend is just whispering to you on a train. Re-sisters digs up narratives of guile and wiliness, tales of flying under the radar, and emerges with a whole cryptology of female artistic liberation. My recommendation: get it, read it, hear it.' Louder Than War
'A rollicking, roller-coaster read [...] Defiant to the end. Recommended.' International Times
'In her fascinating new book she tells the story of Derbyshire and Kempe, while also revealing how they have informed her own life. A straight up and down biography of Derbyshire – or Kemp – would have made more sense, but Fanni Tutti has never done straight up and down and I, for one, was enthralled.' The Crack
'Re-Sisters, Exclusive Extract’ The Quietus
'Re-Sisters, Exclusive Extract’ The Independent
'What links all three of us in this book is we didn’t want to submit to what was laid out for us. We wanted a way out' Interview for The Guardian
'Never self-serving. Always full of active curiosity about the ways distant artists compel and ignite us [The book] emanates an enthralling power.' 4 Stars Jude Rogers, MOJO Magazine
'Tutti’s gift here — and it’s a gift wrought from personal experience — is in recognising what they did, not that they did it despite difficulties.' Freq Magazine
'This engaging entwining of lives is about defying your place as a woman, the freedom to define yourself, and preserving yourself among stultifying societal norms and patriarchal belittlement and aggressions [...] Ultimately, what comes through, and is truly inspiring, is strength of character, strength of creativity - true fortitude, no least in the face of trauma [...] They all transcend those experiences and are truly alive in this book.' The Wire
‘A fascinating tale of the interlinking lives of three legendary trailblazers.’ Salena Godden
‘Cosey Fanni Tutti has lived the life and has the stories to tell: not just hers, but those of two other still unheralded female pioneers.’ Jon Savage
‘Passionate, original and fiercely defiant.’ Rupert Thomson
‘Awe-inspiring. Read these revelatory portraits: this book is for anybody who wants to discover the work of three women who, without fanfare, have enriched our world.’ Robert Wyatt
'It would be wrong to peg Re-sisters as just another book about female resourcefulness and resilience. It is much more complicated than that, and more honest. The voice is plain, colloquial, as if your friend is just whispering to you on a train. Re-sisters digs up narratives of guile and wiliness, tales of flying under the radar, and emerges with a whole cryptology of female artistic liberation. My recommendation: get it, read it, hear it.' Louder Than War
'A rollicking, roller-coaster read [...] Defiant to the end. Recommended.' International Times
'In her fascinating new book she tells the story of Derbyshire and Kempe, while also revealing how they have informed her own life. A straight up and down biography of Derbyshire – or Kemp – would have made more sense, but Fanni Tutti has never done straight up and down and I, for one, was enthralled.' The Crack
'Re-Sisters, Exclusive Extract’ The Quietus
'Re-Sisters, Exclusive Extract’ The Independent
Cosey Fanni Tutti’s Playlist For Margery Kempe.
Cosey Fanni Tutti picks out the songs she would sync to an imaginary film about the fourteenth-century mystic and memoirist.
Listen now on The Quietus website
Featuring special guests Cosey Fanni Tutti and Will Ashon.
This show was 1st in the global literature chart, 33rd in the global interview chart and 50th in the global punk chart.
Listen now on the Soho Radio website
Limited Edition
Re-Sisters T-Shirts & Tote Bag
SOLD OUT!
Includes a Limited Edition Button Badge
of Cosey’s Re-sisters book.
SOLD OUT!
also available from other high-street and online book stores, including Amazon, Blackwell's, Foyles, Guardian bookshop, Waterstones and WH Smith.
The proofs are in…
Re-sisters: The Lives and Recordings of Delia Derbyshire, Margery Kempe and Cosey Fanni Tutti.
The story of three women consumed by their passion for life - a trinity of the sacred and profane, sinners and saints of a kind.
Follow Cosey on Twitter for news and updates on this riveting, brain-expanding and inspirational new book to be published by Faber on the 18th August.
Re-sisters: The Lives and Recordings of Delia Derbyshire, Margery Kempe and Cosey Fanni Tutti.
The story of three women consumed by their passion for life - a trinity of the sacred and profane, sinners and saints of a kind.
Follow Cosey on Twitter for news and updates on this riveting, brain-expanding and inspirational new book to be published by Faber on the 18th August.
my life is my art, my art is my life