Taylor's Version

The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift

By: Stephanie Burt

Narrated by: Janina Edwards

A preeminent Harvard professor and poetry expert explains the artistry—and the celebrity—of Taylor Swift

“This is an outstanding look at one of the world’s most beloved entertainers.”―Kirkus (starred)

Taylor Swift has become a peerless superstar, ceaselessly productive and internationally beloved. From her teen country debut to her Eras tour and beyond, Swift’s career and her creations have captivated and bewitched us, opening up new ways to see both her life and our own.

In Taylor’s Version, the poet and literary scholar Stephanie Burt offers an insightful and heartfelt critical appreciation of Taylor Swift, her body of work, and the community that her art has fostered. Drawing from her 2024 Harvard course, Taylor Swift and Her World, as well as from her years as a Swiftie, Burt examines Swift’s particular form of genius – not the destructive genius of tortured poets, but the collaborative and joyful genius of an artist who has mastered her craft. She highlights the ways Swift’s work remains at once intimate and relatable, portraying people we feel that we know and people we wish we could be, from the first loves and girlhoods on Fearless through the public and private angst of Midnights. How does she do it (with a broken heart)?

Tracing a path through the Eras, Taylor’s Version shows what Swift has created, how it works, and why her songs will endure.

Critic reviews

“This is an outstanding look at one of the world’s most beloved entertainers… a smart, incisive look at the singer-songwriter who has captured the world’s imagination.”—Kirkus (starred)

“Taylor Swift treats her own life as worthy of artistic obsession and grandeur; Stephanie Burt treats her oeuvre as worthy of academic and poetic attention.In Taylor's Version, Burt not only articulates the force of Swift's songwriting genius, but—perhaps more importantly—makes the case for her place in the literary tradition. A provocative, sharp, well-argued book for any Taylor Swift fan—or skeptic.”—Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties

“In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking tour of all things Taylor Swift, Stephanie Burt deftly balances the perspectives of fan and critic, diving deeply into each of Swift’s albums, and tracing her remarkable evolution as an artist and cultural icon. Whether you’re a diehard Swiftie or a casual listener, this insightful and illuminating book will send you back to the songs themselves with a fresh appreciation for where they came from, how they work, and why they mean so much to so many people.”—Tom Perrotta, New York Times-bestselling author of Little Children

“Depending on your feelings toward Ms. Swift, you may or may not want to like this book. Too bad, it’s going to make you like it, and see the phenomenon in a way you never have before.”—Catherynne M. Valente, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of Her Own Making

“Taylor Swift is lucky to have a fan, a listener, and a writer as open to her music and as acute to its internal and emotional rhythms, Swift’s craft and her audience’s response, as Stephanie Burt. With unfailing lucidity, empathy, and wit, she takes a reader through the songs, until you can hear, all over again, how they really work.”—Greil Marcus, music journalist