Taylor's Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift

An original exploration and celebration of Taylor Swift, the world’s biggest music star, as taught at the world’s most prestigious university.

One of the biggest stars in the world, Taylor Swift became so popular for many reasons – but first and last thanks to her songs. In Taylor’s Version, award-winning literary critic Professor Stephanie Burt charts the extraordinary journey from Swift’s teen country debut to her most recent record-breaking achievement as the highest-grossing touring artist in the world. Based on her Harvard University course, Taylor Swift and Her World, Burt offers the first serious study of Swift that pays close attention to her talent as a songwriter first and foremost.

Drawing from musical and cultural criticism, poetry, economic theory, American history, as well as personal experience, Burt presents an insightful and heartfelt critical appreciation of Swift that delves into her life, her celebrity and her artistry. She explores how Swift’s musical and public persona reflect her life and her craft, at once intimate and relatable. She considers the international community Swift’s work has fostered, and she shows what makes Swift’s body of work so important across styles, genres and generations.

Tracing a path through the Eras, Taylor’s Version is a literary deep-dive into Swift’s particular form of genius, revealing the remarkable impact of her career and showing how her songs – how music itself – can change lives.

Author Biography

Stephanie Burt is Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University. Her work appears in the New York Times Book Review, New Yorker and London Review of Books, among others. Her books of poetry and literary criticism – fourteen in all – include We Are Mermaids, Advice from the Lights, and Don’t Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poems. She lives in Massachusetts.