Jan 29, 2025
As strange and weird as it might sound, authors who paint the most jolly pictures are often the most distressed. But in some authors’ works, their distress and depression can clearly be spotted. Here we mention 10 such authors.
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One of the most iconic authors of 20th-century poetry was Sylvia Plath. Her book ‘The Bell Jar’ is in all the rage right now, but only those who have read it know that Sylvia suffered from mental illness, and depression.
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The man famous for the story of the bug and his discontent with his father is Franz Kafka. The author of ‘The Metamorphosis’ and ‘The Trial’, Kafka was filled with feelings of inadequacy and isolation throughout his life.
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The man who wrote ‘Infinite Jest’, David Foster Wallace is also said to have suffered from depression for a big part of his life.
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The man who made the world aware of the disillusions of ‘American Dream’, F. Scott Fitzgerald had a life filled with excess and despair. He struggled with alcoholism, depression, and troubled relationships.
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A Pulitzer prize-winning author, Anne Sexton is another on the list to have suffered from mental distress. Her poetry was confessional in nature and gave hints about her personal pain, mental illness, and identity.
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An iconic woman in the literary scene, Virginia Woolf too unfortunately suffered from mental distress. It is believed that Woolf had bipolar disorder, and would experience episodes of intense creativity and depressing days.
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Another author who is said to have been suffering immensely is Mark Twain. It is said that the early demise of his wife and children became the trigger of his mental health issues.
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Ernest Hemingway, one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century, was known for his minimalist prose and adventurous lifestyle. But Hemingway too struggled with depression and alcoholism.
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One of the most iconic poets in the world, Edgar Allan Poe wrote poetry that haunted people in their dreams. And as his life was marked by poverty and personal loss, mental distress came to him in waves.
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An author who is a cult classic today, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s life too was filled with struggles and issues, and his work sometimes hints at it too. His life was filled with hardships, financial struggles, health issues, and more.
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