Customer Reviews

Emotional Illness and Creativity: A Psychoanalytic and Phenomenologic Study

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Immersed in philosophy and the arts, psychiatrist and writer Richard Chessick has created his 'magnum opus' here. From an intricately synthesized psychiatric, philosophical, and artistic perspective he has created a unique work, a blending of genres, not only non-fiction as a thoughtful and perceptive discussion of the role emotional illness inflicts on the creative process but tucked away in these pages is a little artistic gem of a drama whose two characters, Ezra Pound and 'Barry' and their basic tragic path are developed and revealed in the 'play within a play'. Surrounding this work is portrayal of the social, artistic, psychoanalytic, and philosophical issues that bear on the creative person today. I consider this a wonderful and rare find written by a real Renaissance person clothed in the joy and agony of human affairs.

This is clearly Dr. Chessick's "magnum opus." Drawing on profound and intricately synthesized psychiatric, philosophical, and artistic perspectives, he has brought to light a unique and illuminating book comprised of two genres: it is not only a work of non-fiction, an engaging and scholarly discussion of the effect of emotional illness on creativity, creativity in general, but also, as it develops the current cultural issues that affect the person who is trying to create (explicated from the perspective of a talented psychoanalyst) there is an artistic gem of a drama tucked into the pages which gives the reader a direct phenomenological experience of what it is like to try to create when one is restricted and oppressed by emotional illness. The two protagonists of this part of the work, Ezra Pound and the tragic "Barry" are developed and dramatically revealed as the reader follows the complications in their lives from birth to death. In the manner of a "play within a play" creative works are presented along with the emotional agonies of Ezra Pound and Barry. In addition there is an enriching tapestry, a plethora of the social, artistic, psychoanalytic and philosophical issues that bear on the creative person today. This is a wonderful work, and a remarkable reading experience. It is clearly written by a Renaissance person and psychoanalyst with a profound depth of knowledge of the foibles, joy and agony of human affairs.