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

Coming May 2022.

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.