Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds [Paperback]

Christopher Zara (Author), Robbie Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2012

Great art comes from great pain.

Or that's the impression left by the haunting profiles in Tortured Artists, which examines the maladies that drive creative types to the brink of despair and the inspired works that are born from their anguish.

The book comprises illuminating profiles of forty-eight celebrated figures from literature, music, drama, and visual art. The artists are a carefully chosen mix of pioneers and mavericks whose creative contributions have forever changed their respective mediums -- everyone from Charles Schulz to Charlie Parker, Michelangelo to Madonna, Andy Warhol to Amy Winehouse. Each profile in Tortured Artists has a specific goal: to show how pain and suffering inspired the subject's art, thereby revealing the common thread that binds artistic expression of every conceivable type.

As much an appreciation of artistic genius as an accessible study of the artistic psyche, Tortured Artists illustrates the surprising extent to which inner and outer turmoil fuel the creative process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A surprisingly sophisiticated and oddly brilliant work -- part popular science and part cultural criticism -- that blends comic observation and trenchant insight into a literary treasure as difficult to put down as it is to classify." -Rain Taxi Review of Books.

"It's a weighty subject, and Zara tackles it with gusto. His research uncovers the details that make his subjects human to us." -The Santa Fe New Mexican

About the Author

Christopher Zara (New York, NY) is a writer, critic, and journalist with more than ten years' experience covering entertainment and the arts. He is a media and culture reporter for The International Business Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (March 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440530033
• ISBN-13: 978-1440530036
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #932,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Zara is a writer and journalist who covers pop culture, entertainment, and the arts. He is a media and culture reporter for The International Business Times.

A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Zara began his creative endeavors as a musician in the early 1990s. It wasn't long, however, before he realized that spending long nights at CBGB and other dingy dives around Lower Manhattan was not his cup of tea. He eventually pursued a quieter career in journalism, which has done wonders for his tinnitus.

From 2006 - 2012, Zara was managing editor of Show Business magazine, a trade publication for the performing arts industry. His work has also appeared in such magazines as Mental Floss, MovieMaker, Dramatics, and Seattle magazine. In 2009, Zara co-wrote the feature documentary Average Community--an unsentimental look at the hardcore-punk scene in 1980s New Jersey--which took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary from the 2009 CMJ Film Festival. His first book, Tortured Artists, was published by Adams Media in spring 2012.

Zara lives in New York City and has nothing particularly bad to say about the guy who just shoved him on the subway.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dare you to put this one down! February 23, 2012

By Ronnie Lemieux

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've never understood the public's infatuation with such insipid creatures as Kim Kardashian, Lindsey Lohan or any reality show "personality", when there are plenty of genuinely interesting people to read about. Many of these people are showcased in Christopher Zara's book "Tortured Artists". Did you know that Joey Ramone was born with a phantom twin attached to his spine? I can't say that I did. As an art historian, I felt that I already knew quite a bit about artists and other historical figures, but this book kept me hooked with new nuggets of fascinating information. Also it's one thing to relay these facts; its altogether different to synthesize those facts into an insightful story on that individual and demonstrate how these things affected them and their work. But this isn't dry psychobabble. This is very entertaining reading. Zara's writing style is witty and very relatable, with popular cultural references that are sure to amuse. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and thought-provoking essays on great artists March 8, 2012

By Jessica

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It's a series of short essays about acclaimed artists broken into chapters that categorize their particular angst - bad childhood, unrequited love, drug abuse. It's especially handy to have around if you're interrupted a lot when you're reading as each little story about the artists isn't very long and it's easy to put down and pick back up again.

What this book really did was get me thinking about the link between pain and great art. Would any of these artists trade their "greatness" in order to have a happy life? Was creating art that transcends the ages worth being tormented and miserable during their lives? Would I be willing to experience deep pain across my life in order to produce a work of art on par with the artists listed in the book? I don't have an answer for any of these questions, but they certainly made me pause and reflect.

Also, the illustrations in the book are very fun and really added to the work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tortured Artists Book March 5, 2012

By Grace Campbell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tortured Artists is an interesting account of diverse artistic genius and troubled lives that reads like a collection of intriguing short stories. Written with intelligence, humor and irony, each subject's story is thoughtfully told. Tortured Artists is packed full of curious facts, scandals, and theories analytically examined and presented in an enjoyable reading experience.

Good story telling!

Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds