Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass

The New York Times–bestselling debut book of poetry from artist and musician Lana Del Rey.

“‘Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass’ is the title poem of the book and the first poem I wrote of many. Some of which came to me in their entirety, which I dictated and then typed out, and some that I worked laboriously picking apart each word to make the perfect poem. They are eclectic and honest and not trying to be anything other than what they are and for that reason I’m proud of them, especially because the spirit in which they were written was very authentic.” —Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey’s breathtaking first book solidifies her further as “the essential writer of her times” (The Atlantic). The collection features more than thirty poems, many exclusive to the book: ”Never to Heaven,” “The Land of 1,000 Fires,” “Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving,” “LA Who Am I to Love You?,” “Tessa DiPietro,” “Happy,” “Paradise Is Very Fragile,” “Bare Feet on Linoleum,” and many more. The collection also showcases Lana’s typewritten manuscript pages alongside her original photography. The result is an extraordinary poetic landscape that reflects the unguarded spirit of its creator.

Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is also brought to life in an unprecedented spoken word audiobook which features Lana Del Rey reading fourteen select poems from the book accompanied by music from Grammy Award–winning musician Jack Antonoff.

“Achingly romantic.” —Vogue

“A melancholy meditation . . . Violet’s poems tap into Del Rey’s signature gauzy, glamorous style.” —Bustle