I Seem to Live: The New York Diaries, 1969–2011: Volume 2

The second volume of Jonas Mekas’s autobiography I Seem to Live. The New York Diaries, 1969–2011 continues with the meticulous description of his dense life in New York’s underground art scene. It begins with the seventies, a time when the Chelsea Hotel was a central hub of creativity and a temporary home for the filmmaker and critic. In 1970, Mekas cofounded Anthology Film Archives with Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage. Later, he bought the Courthouse building at 32 Second Avenue where Anthology remains today. Jonas Mekas finished editing his autobiography’s last volume when he was over ninety years old. Published posthumously, I Seem to Live. The New York Diaries, 1950–2011 stands on an equal footing with his cinematic oeuvre. The second and concluding volume of his diaries, contains an extensive index of names

The concluding volume of Mekas’ magnum opus traces the cofounding of Anthology Film Archives and the filmmaker's ascent to international fame

This second installment of Jonas Mekas' (1922–2019) autobiography describes the incredible accomplishments of the great filmmaker’s life from the late 1960s on.
In 1970 Mekas cofounded the Anthology Film Archives with Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka and Stan Brakhage; nine years later he bought (in an auction) the Courthouse building at 32-24 2nd Avenue, where Anthology remains today. This period also saw his first return to Lithuania, where he saw his mother and family after 27 years, and some of his best-known essayistic films: Walden (1969), Reminiscences from Lithuania (1972) and Lost Lost Lost (1976).
The 1970s was a time of loss and growth for Mekas: George Maciunas, Fluxus guru and his closest Lithuanian American friend, died in 1978, and Mekas began a family. The following years saw numerous exhibitions across the US and Europe, as well as publications such as I Had Nowhere to Go, film projects and travels. The final chapter of the book comprises personal letters to Mekas’ closest friends.

Jonas Mekas (1922–2019) was born in Lithuania and arrived in New York in 1949 via post-war DP camps in Germany. Co-founder of the Anthology Film Archives, Mekas was a filmmaker, writer, and poet, as well as a tireless advocate for experimental art and a New York City legend.