Alcohol and the Writer

Goodwin, Donald W.

ISBN 10: 0836259254 / ISBN 13: 9780836259254

Published by Andrews McMeel Pub, 1988

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00089132100

Synopsis:

Discusses the problems Poe, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Faulkner, and O'Neill had with alcohol, and examines the reasons for the high rate of alcoholism among writers

Reviews: In researching alcoholism, Goodwin, head of the University of Kansas Medical Center psychiatry department and author of Is Alcoholism Hereditary? , discovered that a great many prominent 20th century American writers drank to excess71%, the highest rate of any group studied. A deft biographical sketch precedes analysis of the drinking patterns, circumstances, heredity and psychological elements presumably responsible for the addictions of, among others, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner. The author describes the writers' behavior while drunk, and attitudes towards drinking that range from shame to fatalism. He also appraises the effects of alcohol on their health and artistic sensibilitiesfor example, the LSD-like, absinthe-induced hallucinations reflected in Poe's work. Writing, Goodwin theorizes in his enlightening, thoughtful study, calls for exhibitionism, an interest in people, fantasy, and self-confidence, all of which alcohol promotes even as it assuages the loneliness and concentration which the craft requires. However, he notes, the extent to which writing and alcohol are related remains debatable. First serial to West Coast Review of Books.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Alcohol and the Writer
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pub
Publication Date: 1988
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good