Harvey MuddHarvey Mudd

Harvey Mudd is an American poet, writer and painter who, disillusioned with American politics and culture, lives in France.

His new memoir, Leaving My Self Behind,  recounts the events and influences—from a prestigious family with ancestry that goes back to the first generation of American settlers in 1630 to the modern day—that formed the values and historical reference that led to his self-imposed exile.

It is also an experiment in “lean” autobiography, a “life” stripped of the romantic entanglements, but which includes an examination of a severely dysfunctional birth family and the resulting personal trials that shaped his character.

Mr. Mudd now lives most of the time in the south of France.

More about Harvey’s new book