The Thirsty Muse Author:Tom Dardis Of the eight Americans awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, five were alcoholic. The list of other twentieth-century American writers similarly afflicted is very long; only a few of the major creative talents have been spared... The presence of the disease in so many of our best writers surely makes it appear that alchoholism is the American w... more »riter's disease...
Since [modern American] painters, and other artists as well, have had their own share of the problem, it seems reasonable to ask if some link exists between alcoholism and creativity. Over the years, many of our best artists accepted such a connection. In fact, several have claimed they had little choice but to drink, and heavily at thatm if they were to perform at their creative peak.
Sincerely believing that steady drinking must surely be the right approach to the muse, the writers I consider in this book embarked on writing and drinking careers together, with deadly effect on their creative powers.« less