The Paradox of Suicide and Creativity

Download or read book The Paradox of Suicide and Creativity written by M.F. Alvarez and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If creativity is the highest expression of the life impulse, why do creative individuals who have made lasting contributions to the arts and sciences so often end their lives? M.F. Alvarez addresses this central paradox by exploring the inner lives and works of eleven creative visionaries who succumbed to suicide. Through a series of case studies, Alvarez shows that creativity and suicide are both attempts to authenticate and resolve personal catastrophes that have called into question the most basic conditions of human existence.