Audre Lorde pioneered "biomythography" in Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, originally published in 1982. In this extraordinary tale, Lorde weaves a narrative tapestry out of the threads of her own life - from her family's immigration to New York through her own coming of age - and the lives of the women who shaped her.

"Among the elements that make the book so good are it's personal honesty and lack of pretentiousness, characteristics that shine through the writing, bespeaking the evolution of a strong and remarkable character." (The New York Times)
Zamiis a fast-moving chronicle. From the author's vivid childhood memories of Harlem to her coming of age in the late 1950s, the nature of Audre Lorde's work is cyclical. It especially relates to...the women who have shaped her. Lorde brings into play her craft of lush description and characterization. It keeps unfolding page after page." (Off Our Backs)
"Filled with finely distilled reflection, as sage and resonant as ancient wisdom literature." (Ms. Magazine)
"[H]er perfectly ripened prose moves along in seemingly effortless sentences that are vivid, charming, nostalgic, hilarious, rich, succulent, sensual, and erotic, but always at the service of the art." (Women's Review of Books)