Forget colonialism? Book

American writer James Lord became friends with Alberto Giacometti in the years after WWII, and in the early '60s sat for a portrait. This brief memoir recounts the 18 days that Lord spent immobile in Giacometti's Paris studio, while the artist cursed, complained, procrastinated, and gave voice to an incredible sense of self doubt about his abilities and indeed the whole prospect of art. This book provided the inspiration for the recent film "Final Portrait," but it does not contain many of the episodes from the film involving Giacometti's relationship with his wife and mistress. Lord seems too polite to dish the dirt here, but he does provide an indelible portrait of his own of the artistic process.