Book Review: William Styron “Darkness Visible”
“Depression is a disorder of mood, so mysteriously painful and illusive in the way it becomes known to the self …” — William Styron
Arguably one of the best books ever written about depression, the late great author William Styron (Sophie’s Choice, The Confessions of Nat Turner) tells it as it is about what life with depression is really like. Although Styron will claim that depression is nearly undescribeable, he does a pretty good job describing it.Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness (1990) is especailly recommended for people who haven’t a clue as to what depression is all about.
They have no excuse to not read it, as it’s only 84 pages long in huge print and big margins.
In The Days Before Prozac
William Styron touches on his depression weaving in and out of his life until 1985, where he tried to commit suicide. He finally considered himself well enough in 1989 to lecture on clinical depression (still called clinical depression then and not major depression or endogenous recurring depression). The lecture went so well that Vanity Fair wanted an essay based on the lecture, which Styron provided (Proving that good writers never turn down a job offer). Eventually, it was published in book form and until recently was still in print.
How he got better without the help of Prozac is amazing. For a while, he was on a tranquilizer called Halcion (trizolam) and then on another called Dalmane (now known more as flurazepam). Writing and seeing a therapist were his main treatments. Although he doesn’t try to dissuade people from going to a hospital, he notes that he couldn’t tolerate the atmosphere. “For me the real healers were time and seclusion.”
And writing this book.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
[...] much better book about what depression is like and how to get through it is William Styron’s Darkness Visible. Did You Enjoy this Post? Subscribe to Depression Talk. It’s Free! « Back Home Posted in [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
[...] listening to your doctor, taking your meds and reading the Sunday Comics or William Styron’s Darkness Visible rather than this book. If you read it, then you’ll be more depressed than ever. Did You Enjoy [...]