Authors | Guy Portman's Blog

7 Authors Who Overcame Adversity

Apr 10 2015

Earlier this week during a break from working on my third novel I took to thinking about famous authors who overcame adversity. Why, I don’t know why. Anyway, I thought it was a topic that would make a worthy addition to my popular famous author series of blog posts. Here are 7 authors who overcame varying degrees of adversity:

Maxim Gorky

(March 28th 1868 – June 18th 1936)

Iconic Russian author Maxim Gorky was brought up in relative poverty by his grandmother after being orphaned at a young age. During this period he suffered abuse from his grandfather. At the age of 12 he ran away from home and travelled across the Russian Empire for 5 years, living as a tramp for much of this time. Gorky went on to become one of Russia’s most popular authors ever and the founder of the Socialist realism literary method.

Click here to read my review of My Childhood

Victor Frankl

(March 26th 1905 – September 2nd 1997)

Austrian Jew Victor Frankl was a psychiatrist, neurologist and writer, who was imprisoned in several concentration camps during the WWII, including Auschwitz. Frankl’s wife, mother and brother died in the camps. The only immediate member of his family to survive the War was his sister Stella. Frankl went on to write a number of books, his most famous, Man’s Search for Meaning, had at the time of his death in 1997 sold 10 million copies and been translated into 24 languages.

Paulo Coelho

(Born: August 24th 1947)

Brazilian songwriter turned novelist Paulo Coelho was committed to a mental institution at the age of 17 by his parents, who were concerned about his introverted, non-conformist behavior. Coelho, who was fed tranquilizers and given electroshock treatments escaped several times before he was finally released at the age of 20. Today Coelho is the best-selling Portuguese language author of all time. His seminal work, The Alchemist, has been translated into 80 languages.

J.K. Rowling

(Born: July 31st 1965)

Listed by Forbes in 2004 as being the first person to become a U.S. dollar billionaire from writing books, the author of the Harry Potter series is one of the best selling authors of all time. Prior to her success Rowling went through a seven-year period that entailed divorcing her first husband, the death of her mother, existing on benefits as a single mother in Edinburgh, suffering from depression, and even considering suicide.

Janet Frame

(August 28th 1924 – January 29th 2004)

Novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist Janet Frame is widely considered to be one of New Zealand’s best ever authors. Frame’s traumatic childhood saw 2 of her sisters drowned. In 1945 she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalised. The author was saved from a lobotomy, when days prior to the procedure, she unexpectedly won a national literary contest. In 1961 her novel Faces in the Water was published. It went on to become a best seller in her native country.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

(March 6th 1806 – June 29th 1861)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of England’s most famous poets during the Victorian era. In addition to producing poetry at a prolific rate, she campaigned for the abolition of slavery and child labour reform. Browning suffered from extremely poor health from an early age. After suffering spinal and head pain aged 15 she was prescribed laudanum (tincture of opium). Browning became a lifelong opium addict, which no doubt contributed to her ongoing health problems.

Jean-Dominique Bauby

(April 23rd 1952 –March 9th 1997)

Jean-Dominique Bauby was a well-known French journalist and editor of the French fashion magazine Elle, who suffered a massive stroke at the age of 43, which left him speechless and paralysed. Bauby went on to write his memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by blinking every time a person reciting the alphabet reached the required letter. Through this painstaking method Bauby successfully created and edited his book one letter at a time.

7 Literary One Hit Wonders

Mar 27 2015

This week sees the latest instalment in my famous author series. Last week’s post, 7 Famous Authors Who Died Poor, proved to be very popular, receiving approximately 700 page views last weekend. This week’s post is devoted to 7 literary one hit wonders.

Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights (1847)

Emily Brontë, the sister of literary greats Charlotte and Anne Brontë, died at the age of 30, 1 year after the publication of Wuthering Heights. Regarded as a classic of English literature, Wuthering Heights has been adapted for film, television and radio.

Anna Sewell: Black Beauty (1877)

English novelist Anna Sewell was passionate about horses from a young age. But it was not until late in her life that she wrote this equine children’s classic. 50 million copies of Black Beauty have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.

Margaret Mitchell: Gone with the Wind (1936)

Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her debut novel, which was later adapted for the silver screen. The author did not like fame and vowed never to write another word. More than 30 million copies of this coming-of-age, historical novel have been printed.

Ross Lockridge Jr.: Raintree County (1948)

Raintree County is today regarded as a classic of American literature. It took Lockbridge 6 and a half years to complete, in part because his publisher demanded that he shorten the manuscript considerably. The author committed suicide 3 months after the novel’s publication.

J. D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

Reclusive American author J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye spent 30 weeks on the New York Bestseller List, and went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. The book continues to sell around a quarter of a million copies a year. J.D. Salinger never published another novel.

Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

Harper Lee is best known for her one and only published book, the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. However the reclusive 88-year-old has a second novel, Go Set a Watchman, due to be published in July of this year.

John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)

John Kennedy Toole was unsuccessful in getting A Confederacy of Dunces published during his lifetime. In 1980, 11 years after his death, his mother succeeded in getting it published. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1981.

7 Famous Writers Who Died Poor

Mar 20 2015

This week sees the latest instalment in my famous author series. Here are 7 famous writers who died poor:

H. P. Lovecraft

(August 20th 1890 – March 15th 1937)

H.P. Lovecraft was an American author, who is regarded as one of the most important horror fiction writers of the 20th Century. However Lovecraft achieved very little success during his lifetime and was only ever published in pulp magazines. The author lived frugally for much of his adult life, even going without food so he could afford postage stamps. At the age of 46 he died in poverty in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island.

Edgar Allan Poe

(January 19th 1809 – October 7th 1849)

Poe was an author, poet, editor and literary critic, whose tales of mystery and the macabre are still widely read to this day. One of the earliest American practitioners of the short story, Poe is also widely considered as being the inventor of the detective fiction genre. Despite his popularity Poe was near penniless at the time of his death. This was probably due to his poor financial acumen and rampant alcoholism.

Oscar Wilde

(October 16th 1854 – November 30th 1900)

Oscar Wilde was a flamboyant writer, poet and playwright, acclaimed for his enduring wit and writing abilities. At the height of his fame Wilde was a successful playwright. In 1895 Wilde was arrested for gross indecency with other men. This culminated in a guilty verdict and large legal fees that forced the writer into bankruptcy. At the age of 46 a near destitute Wilde died of cerebral meningitis in the squalid Hotel d’Alsace in Paris.

Herman Melville

(August 1st 1819 – September 28th 1891)

Best known for his epic novel Moby Dick, Herman Melville is today regarded as one of the greatest American authors of all time. Melville’s first book, Typee, quickly became a bestseller, and by his mid-thirties Melville had achieved considerable success. But this success was short-lived and his career was soon in marked decline, as he found himself beset with financial difficulties. When Melville died in 1891 his works were out of print and he was poor.

O. Henry

(September 11th 1862 – June 5th 1910)

O. Henry was a renowned and prolific short story writer. In the 10 years prior to his demise he published over 300 stories. However when he died in 1910 O. Henry was virtually penniless. This was no doubt due in part to the alcoholism that afflicted him in later years, as well as his carefree attitude to money, which included on several occasions spending his advances, but not delivering the promised story or script.

Zora Neale Hurston

(January 7th 1891 – January 28th 1960)

Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist and author, who wrote 4 novels and more than 50 short stories, plays and essays. Her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was published in 1937. Although Hurston achieved considerable success she later faded into obscurity, and her later years were marred by financial and medical difficulties, which resulted in her living in the St. Lucie County Welfare Home, where she died of heart disease.

Joseph Roth

(September 2nd 1894 – May 27th 1939)

In his prime Joseph Roth was a renowned and well-paid political journalist, in addition to being a novelist. Roth’s most famous work, The Radetzky March, is regarded as being one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century. When Hitler rose to power, Roth, a Jew, fled his adopted home of Berlin. His situation deteriorated further due to severe alcoholism, a wife suffering from schizophrenia and a precarious financial situation. In 1939 Roth died a pauper of delirium tremens in Paris.

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5 Books About Drug Addiction

Mar 13 2015

As I have read a number of books about drug addiction recently, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to the subject.

The following 5 books are presented in the order in which they were published:

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey (1800)

Published in 1821, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is widely regarded as being the forefather of addiction literature. The book embraces an ornate prose style and grandiloquent use of language.

My Review: The first part of this autobiographical work takes the form of a lengthy discourse on the author’s childhood and teenage years… (More)

My Verdict: Downer

Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev (1934)

Reprehensible anti-hero Vadim offers some profound insights into the human condition in this depressing, nihilistic and at times humorous novel about adolescence and addiction.

My Review: Set in the years immediately before and after the Russian Revolution, Novel with Cocaine follows the life of Vadim, a Moscow adolescent and student… (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

Junky by William S. Burroughs (1953)

Junky is a semi-autobiographical novella, in which the author successfully utilises a detached journalistic approach to capture the obsessive nature of addiction.

My Review: Set in 1950s America and Mexico, Junky is a confessional novella about drug addiction. Its protagonist Bill Lee chronicles his drug-centred existence, … (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll (1978)

Narrated in a candid, brutal and matter of fact manner, The Basketball Diaries is a realistic depiction of an inner city youth drawn into a life of addiction.

My Review: Author Jim Carroll recounts his New York youth in this classic piece of adolescent literature. The book, which takes the form of seasonal diary entries, … (More)

My Verdict: Okay

Wasting Talent by Ryan Leone (2014)

Author Ryan Leone uses innovative writing techniques and a frenetic and at times poetic prose style to weave this graphic story about drug addiction.

My Review: Young guitar virtuoso Damien Cantwell is a member of a band in Southern California. Damian is talented, popular and good looking, but has a drug problem… (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

I plan to expand on this post when I get around to reading Irvine Welsh’s Skagboys and The Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley.

If you haven’t read it already you might be interested in my blog post about drug addicted authors – 7 Famous Drug Addicted Authors.

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Happy Birthday Bret Easton Ellis

Mar 06 2015

As Bret Easton Ellis, one of my favourite authors, turns 51 on March 7th, I am devoting this week’s blog post to him.

(Born: March 7th 1964)

Bret Easton Ellis rose to prominence when his impressive and controversial first novel, Less Than Zero, was published in 1985 when the author was only 21, and still studying at college. The social commentary and plotless realism that were to become Ellis’s trademark are in evidence throughout this nihilistic first person narrative.

My Review: Set in nineteen-eighties Los Angeles, the story follows eighteen-year-old Clay, returned home for Christmas from college in New Hampshire. Clay immediately falls back into the L.A. social scene, … (More).

Bret Easton Ellis shot to fame/infamy with his third novel American Psycho, which was widely condemned at the time of its publication for its violence and perceived misogyny.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman…. (More).

His fourth novel, Glamorama, is a satirical work that adeptly captures the hedonism of 1990s New York. In typical Ellis fashion the text is punctuated with numerous pop-culture references, in addition to sporadic descriptions of violence and prolonged graphic sexual encounters. Click here to read my review.

I have also read his sixth novel, Lunar Park. Lunar Park is a mock memoir that begins with a parodic account of the author’s early fame. Although I am a big fan of Bret Easton Ellis I found Lunar Park to be convoluted and self-indulgent. Click here to read my review.

To this day, Ellis, who has written 7 novels in total, 4 of which have been made into films, continues to cause controversy, not only through his books, but also with his incendiary Tweeting habits, which have included controversial Tweets on such sensitive subjects as HIV and Aids. This has left the author open to accusations from some that his social media antics are nothing more than publicity stunts. One might argue that controversy appears to be such an integral part of Ellis’s identity that he will never be able to willingly abandon it. However, regardless of this, there can be no doubt that the iconic author will always be remembered as a literary pioneer and erudite social commentator.

Happy Birthday John Steinbeck

Feb 27 2015

John Steinbeck would have been 113-years-old today. As it is his birthday, I am devoting this week’s blog post to him.

(February 27th 1902 – December 20th 1968)

Born in Salinas, California, John Steinbeck went on to become a prolific novelist and short-story writer, and one of the most acclaimed literary figures America has ever produced. Steinbeck’s accolades include The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1940) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1962).

Steinbeck’s most famous book and my favourite novel is The Grapes of Wrath. As most of you probably already know it is about a poor family of Oklahoma sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their land during the 1930s’ Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. The book was viewed as so controversial at the time of its publication due to its criticism of the nation’s economic plight that it was burned on 2 separate occasions in the author’s home town of Salinas.

Steinbeck was very critical of capitalism and a supporter of unionisation. These are recurring themes in many of his books, most notably in In Dubious Battle (Click on the link to read my review). In Dubious Battle is set to be adapted for the silver screen. It will be directed by James Franco.

Steinbeck is the master of character development. This is on full display in his short novel The Wayward Bus, one of my favourite Steinbeck novels.

My Review – An unlikely group of characters are travelling through rural South California by bus. In his unique style Steinbeck proceeds to explore each personality in intricate detail; their inhibitions, motivations, intimate thoughts and hopes for the future … (More)

Another Steinbeck that I would recommend if you haven’t read it already is The Pearl. Unlike the majority of his books which are set, at least in part in the Salinas Valley, it is set in Mexico. The Pearl is a parable about the darker side of human nature – greed, jealousy, social divisions, the unjust nature of the world and how we are all prisoners of circumstance. Click here to read my review.

One of Steinbeck’s lighter and more optimistic novels is Sweet Thursday. Whilst readers would undoubtedly enjoy this book more having read the prequel Cannery Row first, it is not essential to do so. Click here to read my review.

I stopped reading Steinbeck’s books a couple of years ago as I wanted to save some for my later years, although I am planning to read the episodic novella The Red Pony soon. I hope to visit the Salinas Valley next time I am in the U.S.

I look forward to hearing about your Steinbeck reading experiences.

4 Famous Male Writers’ Writing Styles

Feb 20 2015

Every author has his/her own distinctive writing style. My own evolving writing style utilises dry humour, satirical observations and concise prose.

This week’s blog post is dedicated to 4 famous writers’ writing styles:

James Joyce

(February 2nd 1882 – January 13th 1941)

Notable works: Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, A, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Ireland’s most famous author is remembered as being one of the most influential writers of the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. Joyce embraced an experimental, stream of consciousness writing style. His seminal work Ulysses contains more vocabulary words (30,030) than the entire Shakespearean canon of 38 plays.

The former poet took his experimental style a step further with his final book, Finnegan’s Wake (1939). Written in Paris over a period of 17 years, Finnegan’s Wake utilises a stream of consciousness style, idiosyncratic language and literary allusions. The book is regarded as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language.

William S. Burroughs

(February 5th 1914 – August 2nd 1997)

Notable works: Junkie, Queer, The Soft Machine, The Naked Lunch.

William S. Burroughs was at the forefront of the Beat generation, influencing the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. His often-controversial works (c.f. drugs and homosexuality) include 18 novels, in addition to a number of novellas and short stories, many of which are semi-autobiographical in nature. Burroughs’s writing is characterised as being sardonic, dark, humorous and confessional.

Burroughs was the pioneer of the collage technique, which entails cutting up text with a pair of scissors and then rearranging it to create new text. His seminal work, the non-linear and highly controversial Naked Lunch was created in this manner.

Click on the links to read my reviews of Junky and Queer.

Ernest Hemingway

(July 21st 1899 – July 2nd 1961)

Notable works: The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man & the Sea.

Ernest Hemingway won The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953) and The Nobel Prize in Literature (1954). Hemingway embraced the minimalist style of writing that he had been required to use when he had been a journalist. This style, known as The Iceberg Theory (Theory of Omission), utilised short, terse sentences, which was in stark contrast to the ornate prose of the literati of the time. It is this simple and direct writing style that has endeared Hemingway to so many readers down the years.

Click here to read my review of The Old Man and the Sea.

Jack Kerouac

(March 12th 1922 – October 21st 1969)

Notable works: On the Road, The Dharma Bums, Big Sur.

American novelist, poet and artist Jack Kerouac was a member of the Beat Generation. Kerouac primarily wrote autobiographical novels. His most famous book, On the Road, is set against a backdrop of poetry, jazz and drug use. It was the defining work of the post-war Beat Generation.

Kerouac typed On The Road over a period of 3 weeks in the spring of 1951, on a 3-inch thick, 120-foot long scroll. Through attempting to omit periods from his work and improvising words he created his own innovative, spontaneous prose writing style – a style that was influenced by Jazz music and Bebop.

Click on the links to read my reviews of Maggie Cassidy and On The Road.

Record Breaking Authors

Feb 13 2015

This, the latest instalment in my series of author related blog posts, is dedicated to World record breaking authors. As an author myself I find this topic fascinating, and I hope you will too.

Here are some record breaking authors:

Most Prolific Author Ever – American born author Lauran Bosworth Paine (1916-2001) can lay claim to being the most prolific author of all time. Paine, who had more pen names (70) than most authors have titles, wrote approximately 1000 books.

Best Selling Author Ever – The Guinness Book of World Records lists Agatha Christie, the creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, as the best-selling novelist of all time. She sold approximately 2 billion books.

Best Selling (non-English language) Author Ever – Prolific Belgian author Georges Simenon (1903-1989) wrote nearly 200 novels, in addition to many shorter works of fiction. He has sold approximately 550 million books.

Fastest Author Ever – Contemporary Irish novelist John Boyne claims to have written The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – a best selling fictional account of a boy living through the Holocaust – in only two and a half days.

Worst Author Ever – Obviously this is a matter for conjecture, but it is difficult to argue with author Michael N. Marcus’s claim in his book Stinkers that ‘BIRTH CONTROL IS SINFUL IN THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES and Also ROBBING GOD OF PRIESTHOOD CHILDREN!!’ by ELIYZABETH YANNE STRONG-ANDERSON is the worst book ever. Every letter in this ludicrous, grammatically error strewn, excessively priced abomination (£113.92) is capitalised. Due to these reasons Yanne Strong-Anderson wins the accolade – the World’s worst author ever.

Oldest Author Ever – Ida Pollock, who died in 2013 at the age of 105, just weeks before her 125th book was published, might well be the oldest author ever. The romance novelist sold millions of books over the course of her long lifetime.

Youngest Author Ever – Dorothy Straight is on record as being the youngest published author ever. At the age of 4 she wrote a story for her grandmother, which went on to be published by Pantheon Books in 1964 when the author was 6.

Richest Author Ever – A number of sources including Celebrity Net Worth claim that JK Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, is worth a reported $1Billion.

Poorest Author Ever – There are so many penniless authors out there, it was impossible to verify each and every claim. I have therefore been forced to leave this category blank.

Most Pretentious Author Ever – This reader appreciates Vladimir Nabokov’s (author of Lolita) remarkable linguistic abilities. However his ornate writing style, which utilises a vast array of obscure English words, in addition to French, German and Russian, as well as his obsession with wordplay (c.f. synesthetic details & acrostics) has resulted in the ever self-indulgent Nabokov winning the accolade of the most pretentious author ever.

Most Reclusive Author Ever – There have been a lot of reclusive authors down the years, but surely none more so than prolific American poet (I know I said authors) Emily Dickinson. By her late thirties her reclusive habits entailed rarely leaving the house and speaking to visitors from the other side of her closed front door.

7 Institutionalised Male Writers

Feb 06 2015

3 weeks ago I dedicated a blog post to the subject of female writers who spent time in mental institutions. Today it is the men’s turn.

Here are 7 male writers who spent time in mental institutions:

Paulo Coelho

(Born: August 24th 1947)

Prior to becoming the best-selling Portuguese language author ever, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho was a successful songwriter. His seminal work, The Alchemist, has been translated into 80 languages. At the age of 17 Coelho’s parents, concerned about his introverted, non-conformist behavior, had him committed to a mental institution, where he was fed tranquilizers and given electroshock treatments. The author escaped several times before he was finally released at the age of 20.

Richard Brautigan

(January 30th 1935 – September 14th 1984)

American novelist, poet and short story writer Richard Brautigan is best remembered for his 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America. In 1955, Brautigan, having decided that he was insane, demanded that he be arrested. When the police refused he threw a rock through the police station window. During his 10-day jail term Brautigan was examined by a physician, who had him committed to a mental institution. During the author’s 3-month stay he received electroshock treatments.

Tennessee Williams

(March 26th 1911 – February 25th 1983)

American playwright Tennessee Williams found fame with his play The Glass Menagerie in 1944. By 1959 Williams had won 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 3 New York Drama Critics Awards, 3 Donaldson Awards and a Tony Award. After the death of his lover in 1963 the heavy drinking Williams spiralled into depression and drug use, resulting in several stints in mental facilities, where he was given injections and sedatives.

David Foster Wallace

(February 21st 1962 – September 12th 2008)

David Foster Wallace was an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. Time magazine included his novel Infinite Jest in its best 100 English language novels from 1923 to 2005. In 1989 the heavy drinking author, who was prone to fits of depression, had a 4-week stint at the McLean mental hospital. With the help of medication he was able to overcome his depression and addiction. Unfortunately however the depression returned and he committed suicide in 2008.

The Marquis de Sade

(June 2nd 1740 – December 2nd 1814)

This Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, who wrote novels, plays, short stories and political tracts. He is best remembered for his erotic writing which depicted violent sexual fantasies. The words sadist and sadism are derived from his name. In 1803, shortly after Napoleon ordered that de Sade be imprisoned, he was declared insane and sent to Charenton asylum, where he remained until his death in 1814.

Ezra Pound

(October 30th 1885 – November 1st 1972)

American poet and critic Ezra Pound was an influential figure in the early modernist movement. In 1945 Pound was arrested in Italy for treason and returned to the United States, where he was incarcerated in St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for the criminally insane in Washington DC. At the hospital he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. During his 13 years residing there Pound worked on various translations. He was eventually freed in 1958.

Robert Lowell

(March 1st 1917 – September 12th 1977)

Boston born poet Robert Lowell’s fourth book of poems, Life Studies, won the 1960 National Book Award. His other accolades include winning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1947 and 1974. The poet suffered from bipolar disorder and was hospitalised on a number of occasions, including in 1954 after the death of his mother. Later Lowell was able to control his illness through the use of Lithium. His wrote about his experiences in his confessional poetry.

7 Institutionalised Female Writers

Jan 16 2015

Authors’ suffering from mental instability is a subject that has interested me since reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Here are 7 female writers who were institutionalised:

Unica Zürn(July 6th 1916 – 19th October 1970)

Unica Zürn was a German born author, poet and painter. Zürn began writing radio plays and short stories shortly after the end of World War II. In 1957 whilst living in France she began to suffer increasingly from mental health issues. The writer went on to spend time in various psychiatric facilities in Paris and Berlin. Her struggle with mental illness influenced much of her writing, most notably Der Mann im Jasmin. She committed suicide in 1970.

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald(July 24th 1900 – March 10th 1948)

Novelist, poet and short story writer Zelda Fitzgerald was the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The party-going pair’s tempestuous marriage came under strain due to Scott’s rampant alcoholism. Zelda suffered from increasing mental instability, and in 1930 she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Zelda was a patient in the Sheppard Pratt sanatorium in Towson when in 1932 she wrote the semi-autobiographical novel Save Me the Waltz. In 1948 the author died when the mental hospital she was residing in burnt down.

Janet Frame(August 28th 1924 – January 29th 2004)

Sylvia Plath(October 27th 1932 – February 11th 1963)

Sylvia Plath was well known for her poetry during her short-life. Examples of her early success included winning The Glascock Prize for poetry in 1955. Plath suffered from bipolar disorder, and in 1953 spent 6 months in a psychiatric facility after a suicide attempt. In 1963 Plath committed suicide. She went on to achieve posthumous fame for her mental health themed semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, which was published in the UK a month after her death.

Suzanna Kaysen (Born: November 11th 1948)

American author Suzanna Kaysen is best remembered for her memoir Girl, Interrupted. In 1967 she was sent to the McClean Hospital for psychiatric treatment for depression. It was here that she was diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder. Her 18-month stint in the facility provided the material for her seminal work, Girl, Interrupted. In 1999 the book was adapted for the silver screen. In the film Winona Ryder portrays Kaysen.

Valerie Valere(November 1st 1961- 17th December 1982)

French author Valerie Valere was only 13 years old when she was incarcerated in an asylum due to her anorexia. She later wrote a novel, Le Pavillon des infants fous, which is about this traumatic period in her life. Valere went on to write several other books before her premature demise at the age of 21. The exact cause of her death remains unknown, but it is suspected it was due to an overdose.

Anne Sexton(November 9th 1928 – October 4th 1974)

Anne Sexton was a Pulitzer Prize winning American poet. Themes in her confessional style verse included her mental instability and depression. Sexton, who suffered from bipolar disorder and had suicidal tendencies, was institutionalised on multiple occasions. It was during a stint in Glenside Hospital that her therapist suggested she start writing poetry as a form of therapy. Madness and depression are reoccurring themes in much of Sexton’s writing. The poet committed suicide at the age of 45.

I haven’t forgotten about male authors who were institutionalised. There will be a post dedicated to them.

Category - Authors

7 Authors Who Overcame Adversity

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7 Literary One Hit Wonders

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7 Famous Writers Who Died Poor

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5 Books About Drug Addiction

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Happy Birthday Bret Easton Ellis

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Happy Birthday John Steinbeck

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4 Famous Male Writers’ Writing Styles

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Record Breaking Authors

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7 Institutionalised Male Writers

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7 Institutionalised Female Writers

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