"To write a beautiful book about suicide . . . to transform the subject into something beautiful—this is the forbidding task that A. Alvarez set for himself. . . . He has succeeded."—New York Times
"Suicide," writes the notes English poet and critic A. Alvarez, "has permeated Western culture like a dye that cannot be washed out." Although the aims of this compelling, compassionate work are broadly cultural and literary, the narrative is rooted in personal experience: it begins with a long memoir of Sylvia Plath, and ends with an account of the author's own suicide attempt. Within this dramatic framework, Alvarez launches his enquiry into the final taboo of human behavior, and traces changing attitudes towards suicide from the perspective of literature. He follows the black thread leading from Dante through Donne and the romantic agony, to the Savage God at the heart of modern literature.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“The Savage God is the first study to attemp the historical, literary, philosophical dimensions of the mystery of suicide. . . . It is brilliant, touching, and oddly passionate. . . . An ambitious, exhaustive exploration into the nature of the self-destructive element in man.” (Village Voice )
About the Author
A. Alvarez is a highly acclaimed poet, novelist, literary critic, and author. He lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
70 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I used to read "The Savage God" whenever I was 'in the midst of a dark wood', which for me at least, seemed to occur once every three years. For some reason, the stories of other people's despair and suicide, including Alvarez's own attempted suicide always steadied me. His book is a very literate account of why suicide is such a waste of life and talent. I wouldn't call it a cheerful book, but for me at least, reading it is a very cathartic experience. Alvarez doesn't preach, he merely reports, but he has nevertheless written a very moving book. Read it especially if you are depressed. There is nothing like it on the bookshelves, except perhaps Styron's "Darkness Visible".
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As someone who suffers from Major Depression and has been suicidal from time to time I've tried to read up on the subject of suicide. This book by A. Alvarez has to be the best study I've read to date. It might be because he himself attempted suicide at one point of his life and therefore has first-hand experience of the subject matter. It might also be because he writes with intelligence and has total control of the english language. This book is very easy to read, unlike a lot of similar studies, and contains invaluable background information on the history of suicide and the Christian church's stance on the subject.
For anyone interested in the subject of suicide, this book is a must.
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alvarez's classic book, "The Savage God," examines the religious, sociological, philosophical and literary aspects of suicide through the ages. In pagan Rome, suicide was habitual and considered an honorable way to die. In the Middle Ages, suicide was regarded with revulsion as a mortal sin. Dante, in his "Inferno," consigned suicides to the seventh circle of hell, below the burning heretics and murderers. Later on, the Romantics associated premature death with genius and they admired people who ended their lives while they were still at their artistic peak. Throughout history, mankind has viewed suicide as everything from an unforgivable crime of self-murder to the sad act of a person for whom living has become intolerable.
In a more personal vein, Alvarez discusses the fascinating poet Sylvia Plath, with whom he was acquainted, as well as his own depression and attempted suicide. The section on Plath is superb. Alvarez was fond of Plath and he admired her work greatly. He reveals in a clear-eyed manner how the forces tearing her apart were stronger than those holding her together.
"The Savage God" is an absorbing look at a subject often spoken of in whispers. Alvarez points out that people who lose parents at an early age are more likely to take their own lives. He also examines in depth the strong and mysterious link between creative genius and the impulse toward suicide. "The Savage God" is a work that sheds welcome light on the human condition in all of its complexity, yet Alvarez never presumes to provide easy answers to questions that are ultimately unanswerable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Memorable Study
For those of us who suffer from the dark despair of depression, suicide often feels like the only alternative in a bleak and stifling atmosphere. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Geoffrey Halston
4.0 out of 5 stars
Telescope
In spite of the fact that Alvarez knew Sylvia Plath, that he attempted suicide himself, that he gives us a comprehensive history of attitudes about suicide among the Greeks, the... Read more
Published on January 7, 2011 by Doreen Appleton
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Look At Suicidal Views Then And Now
A book considered a classic text on the subject,it incorporates personal experience with some good looks at just how societal views have changed over time. Read more
Published on July 17, 2010 by Richard Dicanio
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enduring pioneer, personal and general
I was just out of college, working in a bookstore in the Seventies, when I read this book - about a year, as Life would have it, before my first personal encounter with its... Read more
Published on March 10, 2010 by Jim Chevallier
2.0 out of 5 stars
A literary and historical look at suicide ... not a help book
'The Savage God' is like being back in Lit classes at college. The last thing a person seeking answers on suicide would want is this long, lingering prologue on the author's... Read more
Published on June 18, 2007 by Schtinky
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Intriguing Literary Look at Suicide
I haven't read any other studies of suicide, but like many introspective people, the subject is familiar and even, ever present. Read more
Published on May 9, 2006 by Apostate
4.0 out of 5 stars
Both literary and scholarly.
The Savage God is scholarly, aesthetically aware, and an important contribution to a relatively narrow collection of work on suicide and suicidology. Read more
Published on February 12, 2005 by Nicholas Soucy
5.0 out of 5 stars
The next best thing to actually killing yourself
THE SAVAGE GOD is a masterpiece despite the fact that it reeks of the english department. And despite the fact that Clive James was right when he accused Alvarez of being guilty of... Read more
Published on January 27, 2005 by Gooch McCracken
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Savage God remains essential
In The Savage God A. Alvarez looks at suicide from the perspective of literature to see how and why "it colors the imaginative world of creative people. Read more
Published on June 22, 2003 by Gary C. Marfin
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Not So Savage Book
This work is not, properly speaking, a "study" of suicide. Rather, it is comprised of patchwork, non-integrated personal narratives and scanty overviews of psychological theories,... Read more
Published on April 9, 2003 by Daniel Myers
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