We are currently unable to process orders for destinations within the EU, due to changes in tariffs. Please contact books@lrbshop.co.uk for further advice

The True Artist Breaks out of Jail

Ben Okri

£16.99

We send all orders via Royal Mail: within the UK, choose from 1st Class, 2nd Class or Special Delivery; for the rest of the world, International Standard or International Tracked. Delivery and packaging charges are calculated automatically at the checkout.

To collect orders in person from the Bookshop, choose Click and Collect at the checkout.


Thames & Hudson Ltd
3 September 2026
ISBN: 9780500028216
Hardback
160 pages

From the publisher

Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri, in collaboration with artist Rosemary Clunie, offers journeys into the human spirit for our times.

Is everyone an artist? Does the condition of the artist apply in some way to all of us?

'There comes a time in the life of every artist when they must decide whether they are happy in jail. They must decide whether to attain freedom and risk the life out there.'

The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail combines the fiction, essays and poetry of Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri with artworks made in collaboration with painter Rosemary Clunie. Extending the possibilities of text and image, Okri and Clunie envision a bold and fresh journey through a world in urgent need of imaginative renewal. As personal freedoms and political rights become increasingly restricted, they call on us to push past imposed limitations - both as creatives and as individuals.

Featuring thirty-two paintings, The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail speaks to the creative in all of us, highlighting the importance of art within our lives and encouraging a mindset of originality and freedom. Its narratives and images are a raw response to our times, with subjects ranging from war and climate change to authenticity and truth, to the wounds and wonders of the psyche. What emerges is a powerful collection that explores the nature of art, imagination and the human spirit.