Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature [Paperback]

Jan Lars Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005

Within the literature of madness, there has never been a memoir as wrenching and mordantly humorous as Jan Lars Jensen's Nervous System. A quiet librarian who struck publishing gold with his first novel, Jensen felt as if something had come unhinged in his mind. The rush of ideas and language felt like losing, willy-nilly, a chunk of his mental stability. But true madness didn't come until the countdown to his book's release into the world. A few months after selling his novel to a major American publisher, Jensen woke in a psych ward bed, only to find the ideas that had inspired him now roamed through waking nightmares that deranged him. Just as literature prompted Jensen's slide into paranoid obsession, so did it help him rebuild and recover. Whether he was groping to comprehend James Herriot's veterinarian stories through a haze of antipsychotic medication, deciphering his psychiatrist's references to Patrick O'Brian novels, or attempting to steer his recalcitrant mind toward sleep with a history of logging, books and writing defined Jensen's world. This memoir recounts Larsen's extraordinary experience. Terrifying yet tender, darkly humorous and deeply moving, Nervous System is a tale of literary madness like no other.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'As a brave, unflinching look at mental illness, Nervous System is revelatory; as a candid, conflicted view of the creative process, it is a revelation.' Vancouver Sun 'A weird and brilliant memoir... Jensen's writing is smooth and elegant, his narrative suspenseful, his sensibility witty... he delivers a smart and sympathetic narrator - himself - whose personal adventure, as terrifying as any in the thriller rack at the drug store, captures the catastrophes of the present, the ones lurking much closer to home.' Toronto Star 'Nervous System is not just a compelling memoir, it's an important one. Mental illness manages to be both glamorized and stigmatized in our culture. What is often missed is what Jensen shows us convincingly: the moment-to-moment unhappiness of losing your mind... Both harrowingly authentic and poignantly understated. This is, if we're lucky, as close as most of us will get to going really crazy.' National Post 'Candid, merciless, funny, horrific, insightful - often all at once.' Locus" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Jan Lars Jensen had his first novel, Shiva 3000, listed in the Guardian as one of the top ten fantasy novels of all time. He lives in Halifax, Canada, and online at www.jensen.ca. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786715626
• ISBN-13: 978-0786715626
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,181,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching book with a humourous perspective, July 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Nervous System: Or Losing My Mind in Literature (Hardcover)

Highly recommended! Jensen has compiled his experiences of life in a world distored by mental illness, allowing the casual reader a window into his thoughts both as he undergoes a breakdown following publication of his first book, and his own attempts later to make sense of what happened. His humourous observations frequently lighten the deeper story that will touch the nerve of anyone affected by mental illness- either personally or through their family and friends.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars its O.K., July 4, 2004

By 

diane (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nervous System: Or Losing My Mind in Literature (Hardcover)

Paranoia..the reason i picked up this book was because Jensen and I had something in common - we both had Psychosis. Although many have different episodes, experiences, but some similarities - Jensen's autobiographical portrayal of himself is quite witty. The book doesnt merely explain in details how his mind gets tangled up in his first book that he published - i mean- i guess you have to buy his first book -"SHIVA 3000"...but i wouldnt, this book was enough for me.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nervous System: Or Losing My Mind in Literature, April 5, 2004

By 

Jill Moe (Calgary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nervous System: Or Losing My Mind in Literature (Hardcover)

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to fight back with Nervous System. From leaving the book store I couldn't put this book down.