Olivia Laing

Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol through the work and lives of six of America's finest writers.

Why Writers Drink

The Trip to Echo Spring

heleen de boever

Not sure if the blend of literary analysis, travelogue, medical facts and (auto)biography notes is always so successful, yet this is still an enjoyable and informative read that taught me something about some writers & their work I otherwise don't know much about. Bit disappointed (/bored) it was so male- and America-centric, although I appreciate the unhealthy contribution these authors (specifically Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Williams) made to the romantic notion of the tormented, alcoholic artist. Laing is at her best when she turns her pen to the poignant, acute and pragmatic dismantling of exactly this notion.

The Trip to Echo Spring Why Writers Drink

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