200,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

Black Friday Sale on Now! Save up to 25% off Books, Toys, Board Games, & Puzzles! ✨

Things I Don't Want to Know

Living Autobiography 1
4.07 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 19,048 ratings, 2,057 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy is a reflective and engaging memoir that explores the intricacies of authoring and womanhood. Positioned against the backdrop of personal and political landscapes, Levy delves into her own life experiences as a writer, elucidating the influences and events that have shaped her voice. Through a rich and evocative narrative, the book offers a profound exploration of identity and resilience.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're drawn to reflective and introspective stories that delve into the complexities of identity and personal history. Deborah Levy offers an evocative exploration of what shapes us, blending personal anecdotes with philosophical musings, all infused with a rich, artistic sensibility.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

First instalment of Levy's essential 'living autobiography' trilogy - reissued to match the beautiful The Cost of Living hardback.

Taking George Orwell's famous essay, Why I Write, as a jumping-off point, Deborah Levy offers her own indispensable reflections of the writing life. With wit, clarity, and calm brilliance, she considers how the writer must stake claim to that contested territory and shape it to her need. It is a work of dazzling insight and deep psychological succour, from one of our most vital contemporary writers.

This first volume of the trilogy focuses on the writer as a young woman - the confusion and turbulence of youth, and the uncertainties of carving an identity as a writer. The second volume, The Cost of Living, speaks to the challenges of middle age as a writer and a woman - motherhood, separation, bereavement.

Series: Living Autobiography

View all
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Cost of Living
    The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy is a spellbinding blend of memoir and manifesto, an exploration of what it means to navigate modern womanhood amid the mingling tides of personal upheaval and societal change. Set during a transformative period in Levy's life, the narrative unfolds in the wake of her mother's death, the departure of her daughters from home,...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Things I Don't Want to Know
    First instalment of Levy's essential 'living autobiography' trilogy - reissued to match the beautiful The Cost of Living hardback. Taking George Orwell's famous essay, Why I Write, as a jumping-off point, Deborah Levy offers her own indispensable reflections of the writing life. With wit, clarity, and calm brilliance, she considers how the writer must stake claim to that contested territory...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy is praised for its remarkable sharpness and original imagination, drawing comparisons to Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own'. It is noted for its feminist and political undertones, with Levy's unique style being both inspiring and poetic. Celebrated authors and reviewers highlight her originality of thought and assert that she is a writer of global calibre.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241983089

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 April 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 129g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Deborah Levy is the author of several novels including August Blue, Hot Milk and Swimming Home, alongside a formally innovative, critically acclaimed 'living autobiography' trilogy- Things I Don't Want to Know, The Cost of Living and Real Estate. She has been shortlisted twice each for the Goldsmiths Prize and Booker Prize and won the Prix Femina Etranger. She has also written for The Royal Shakespeare Company and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Also by Deborah Levy

View all
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Cost of Living
    The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy is a spellbinding blend of memoir and manifesto, an exploration of what it means to navigate modern womanhood amid the mingling tides of personal upheaval and societal change. Set during a transformative period in Levy's life, the narrative unfolds in the wake of her mother's death, the departure of her daughters from home,...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Position of Spoons
    From twice Booker-shortlisted author Deborah Levy, a moving and revelatory collection exploring the muses that have shaped her life and work as a writer. In The Position of Spoons, Deborah Levy invites the reader into the interiors of her world, sharing her most intimate thoughts and experiences, as she traces and measures her life against the backdrop of the literary...
    Hardback
    $4500
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Hot Milk
    Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016, Hot Milk is a hypnotic tale of female sexuality, power, and myth from the author of Swimming Home. Two women arrive in a village on the Spanish coast. Rose is suffering from a strange illness, and the doctors are mystified. Her daughter, Sofia, has brought her here to find a cure with the...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Sale
    17% off
    Real Estate
    Fearless and essential – the highly anticipated final instalment in Deborah Levy's critically acclaimed Living Autobiography. Following the international critical and commercial success of The Cost of Living, this final volume of Levy's Living Autobiography is an exhilarating, thought-provoking and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it. It resumes and expands Levy's pioneering examination of a...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • August Blue
    The mesmerising new novel from the twice Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home. At the height of her career, concert pianist Elsa M. Andersonβ€”former child prodigy, now in her thirtiesβ€”walks off the stage in Vienna, mid-performance. Now she is in Athens, watching as an uncannily familiar young woman purchases the last pair of mechanical dancing horses at a...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Position of Spoons
    From twice Booker-shortlisted author Deborah Levy, a moving and revelatory collection exploring the muses that have shaped her life and work as a writer. In The Position of Spoons, Deborah Levy invites the reader into the interiors of her world, sharing her most intimate thoughts and experiences, as she traces and measures her life against the backdrop of the literary...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • August Blue
    The mesmerising new novel from the twice Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home. 'If she was my double and I was hers, was it true that she was knowing, I was unknowing, she was sane, I was crazy, she was wise, I was foolish? That summer, the air was electric between us as we transmitted our feelings to...
    Hardback
    $3399
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Man Who Saw Everything
    The unmissable, Booker Prize-longlisted novel from the critically acclaimed author of Hot Milk. In 1988, Saul is hit by a car on the Abbey Rd crossing. He is fine; he gets up and goes to see his girlfriend, Jennifer. They have sex and then break up. He leaves for the GDR, where he will have more sex (with several members...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Unloved
    An arresting, mysterious, hypnotising novel by the Man Booker-shortlisted writer Deborah Levy. A group of hedonistic West European tourists gather to celebrate Christmas in a remote French chateau. Then an Englishwoman is brutally murdered, and the sad, eerie child Tatiana declares she knows who did it. The subsequent inquiry into the death proves to be more of an investigation into...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Early Levy
    Back in print at last, two pioneering early works by Man Booker-shortlisted writer Deborah Levy. Beautiful Mutants Lapinski, a manipulative and magical Russian exile, summons forth a number of highly contemporary urban pilgrims. Through them, Levy explores broken dreams and self-destructive desires in a shimmering, dislocated allegory of its times. Swallowing Geography Like her namesake Jack Kerouac, J.K. is always...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Billy & Girl
    In this brilliant, inventive, tragic farce, Deborah Levy creates the ultimate dysfunctional kids, Billy and his sister Girl. Apparently abandoned years ago by their parents, they now live alone somewhere in England. Girl spends much of her time trying to find their mother, going to strangers' doors and addressing whatever Prozac woman who answers as "Mom." Billy spends his time...
    Paperback
    $4800
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • On Sale
    18% off
    My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein
    "In one short and sly book after another, Levy writes about characters navigating swerves of history and sexuality, and the social and personal rootlessness that accompanies both." Atlantic Who was Gertrude Stein? Avant-garde American poet and art collector who made her home in Paris, godmother of modernism, queer icon, friend to Picasso and Hemingway, self-declared genius - a writer who...
    Hardback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today

Browse lists from our team

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $6399
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    22% off
    New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator ofΒ Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and AccentΒ Aigu, comesΒ I’llΒ Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series,Β Heated RivalryΒ premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 andΒ immediatelyΒ took the world by storm.Β I’ll...
    Hardback
    $4300
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    12% off
    New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    24% off
    The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017β€”revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)β€”critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    On Sale
    22% off
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Artist's Way
    The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a transformative guidebook that has captivated millions, including luminaries such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Tim Ferriss. With its profound ability to inspire and elevate, this book invites readers to embark on an enriching creative journey, fostering a deeper connection to one's artistic process and sense of purpose. The heart of Cameron's groundbreaking programme...
    Paperback
    $3700
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    25% off
    This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $5500
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    24% off
    Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    25% off
    The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER β€œIt’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book.” β€”The Washington Post A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to expressβ€”until now. Have you ever...
    Hardback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $4699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 200,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.