Creativity and Disease

This account of the connections between illness and creativity features case studies of great artists and their afflictions. Illustrated.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An American-born, Swedish-educated surgeon argues that pain, disease, congenital defects, and even hypochondria strongly influence artists' work. Illness has diverse effects, he demonstrates: it can inhibit creativity, spark greater productivity, or inspire the artist to create a unique vision of the world. This multidisciplinary work studies the intersection of illness and artistry in a diverse group of artists, writers, and composers, including Marcel Proust, Paul Klee, Edvard Munch, Lord Byron, Vincent Van Gogh, and Mark Rothko. The stories of the Brontes, John Keats, and Frida Kahlo are particularly heartbreaking. Recommended.
- Gail Wood, Montgomery Coll. Lib., Germantown, Md.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.