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Artyści udręczeni
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.
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.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2012
32 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Zara
4 books23 followersI'm an author and journalist who covers media, tech, business, and theater. I'm a senior editor for Fast Company, where I run the news desk. Before that I was a deputy editor for International Business Times, a theater critic for Newsweek, and the managing editor of Show Business Weekly. I live in New York City with my wife and our cat.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 14, 2022
I started reading this book because I have a general interest in the history and continued development of the tortured artist trope. Rather than a professional, academic, evaluation of tortured artist, this book reads as an angry author trying to convince someone else that tortured artists are real because he says so.
His “careful” selection of artists, from a range of types and periods, were chosen because they “exemplify the book’s title in the most quantifiable sense, which is to say they were ‘tortured’ in the way that Johnny Cash was and ‘artistic’ in a way that Taylor Swift isn’t.” (Pg 13) If that does not exemplify his subjective and biased perception that permeates this entire book, I don’t know what else does.
After the introduction, Zara’s presentation of the tortured artists is nothing more than a collection of short stories, telling of each artist’s life. There is no added discourse to support Zara’s claims that these artists are all great because of tragedies in their life. I finished this book in a day, not because of its excellence, but because I was baffled and shocked by Zara’s unapologetic writing.
His “careful” selection of artists, from a range of types and periods, were chosen because they “exemplify the book’s title in the most quantifiable sense, which is to say they were ‘tortured’ in the way that Johnny Cash was and ‘artistic’ in a way that Taylor Swift isn’t.” (Pg 13) If that does not exemplify his subjective and biased perception that permeates this entire book, I don’t know what else does.
After the introduction, Zara’s presentation of the tortured artists is nothing more than a collection of short stories, telling of each artist’s life. There is no added discourse to support Zara’s claims that these artists are all great because of tragedies in their life. I finished this book in a day, not because of its excellence, but because I was baffled and shocked by Zara’s unapologetic writing.
March 1, 2016
My wife picked this up for me at a closeout store because it looked interesting. If you are looking for an in-depth study of the correlation between art and mental trauma, this is not the book for you. That is not Zara's intention. Instead, Tortured Artists is an entertaining, quick-to-read series of short profiles on a wide range of artists who suffered in some way for their craft. No art medium or time period is neglected, as the profiles range as early as Dante Alighieri and Mozart all the way up to Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. The intentional lack of depth may leave some glaring omissions (Ted Hughes is not even mentioned in Sylvia Plath's entry) but also works in the book's favor as an introduction to these figures. (I am making a virtual reading list of biographies of every one of them.) All in all, it's a fun and not-too-harrowing read, and highly recommended for those with a snarky, dark sense of humor.
May 4, 2015
To me it seemed like the author had discovered simile and wanted to use it on every page of the book. The whole book felt like someone had wanted to A. write about artists and B. write in this style they had emulated poorly from someone else with little to no exploration of the actual subject. Pretty much every case was explained with a formula: This person had a lot of bad/ traumatic experiences, therefore they became an artist. The idea was interesting and I hate being so harsh, but the execution was not.
January 3, 2026
Dziełko o artystach i Artystach w przyjemnej, ale za to bardzo uproszczonej formie. O niektórych osobach autor rozpisał się na bagatelę pięć stron, gdy o innych snuł opowiastkę na dwie kartki. Jest to zdecydowanie wstęp do zapoznania się z jakąś postacią niż faktyczna analiza psychiki człowieka, który nie rzadko dał więcej od siebie, niż mógł. Humor autora zupełnie mnie nie bawił, podobnie jak nawiązania do współczesności. Niemniej książka na trzy albo cztery wieczory.
PS Rysunki twarzy artystów to nieśmieszny żart.
PS Rysunki twarzy artystów to nieśmieszny żart.
November 25, 2025
Fajne, sporo ciekawostek, ale mam wrażenie, że niektóre żarty były trochę na siłę.
Niemniej jednak uważam, że jeżeli kogoś głębiej interesuje wpływ życia prywatnego na sztukę, to jest to dobra baza do dalszego researchu - na końcu jest całkiem spora bibliografia.
Niemniej jednak uważam, że jeżeli kogoś głębiej interesuje wpływ życia prywatnego na sztukę, to jest to dobra baza do dalszego researchu - na końcu jest całkiem spora bibliografia.
November 15, 2020
I simply wish that Christopher Zara didn't discredit the mental illnesses of half the women in here for "comedic effect". The idea of the tortured artist is already harmful for many ways, and i already detested the way Zara approached it because he's under the impression you have to be miserable to create great work (for example he brought up Taylor Swift, a very successful artist, and was like eh she's not tortured so she's not valid which made no sense but that's not my point) because..
My main beef is with his little "demons" sections in the profile briefs about the artists -- he would, for example, give normal issues and validation to the plights of men. "Dante Alghieri's Demons: Love and War", "John Hughes' Demons: Privelege and Disadvantage", Arthur Miller's Demons: Financial Instability" which I was happy to see cuz I was like awesome we're having a conversation about mental illness and THEN I GOT TO Maria Callas, who struggled with her weight and was at one point overweight then lost a bunch of weight during her career which at the time, prompted people to spread rumors about her swallowing a tapeworm/random shit like that which was untrue but then our friend Christopher Zara goes to talk about this and goes
"Maria Callas's Demons: Carbs".
like ok chris how original lets discredit the horrible societal expectations for women's bodies and make a joke out of this woman who was constantly criticized for her weight, no matter what she did. Don't love it, thanks!
anyway, i hate u dude. the only reason u get two stars is cuz in talking about books you disagree with (that are, ya know, based off actual research and studies), you've at LEAST given me the names of authors and books I might not detest, so thanks!
My main beef is with his little "demons" sections in the profile briefs about the artists -- he would, for example, give normal issues and validation to the plights of men. "Dante Alghieri's Demons: Love and War", "John Hughes' Demons: Privelege and Disadvantage", Arthur Miller's Demons: Financial Instability" which I was happy to see cuz I was like awesome we're having a conversation about mental illness and THEN I GOT TO Maria Callas, who struggled with her weight and was at one point overweight then lost a bunch of weight during her career which at the time, prompted people to spread rumors about her swallowing a tapeworm/random shit like that which was untrue but then our friend Christopher Zara goes to talk about this and goes
"Maria Callas's Demons: Carbs".
like ok chris how original lets discredit the horrible societal expectations for women's bodies and make a joke out of this woman who was constantly criticized for her weight, no matter what she did. Don't love it, thanks!
anyway, i hate u dude. the only reason u get two stars is cuz in talking about books you disagree with (that are, ya know, based off actual research and studies), you've at LEAST given me the names of authors and books I might not detest, so thanks!
September 15, 2012
The whole tortured artist thing could just be a silly stereotype, or it could be more. This book makes it seem like more. It profiles about 50 different authors, artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, etc... if you're an expert on any of these figures, you're not going to learn anything you didn't already know. But you'll definitely learn something about the ones you knew less about. Zara makes them all interesting. (Well, most of them -- I could've done without James Cameron.)
And Zara handles it smartly in that he doesn't delve too much into their backgrounds and histories. You can read that stuff in any biography. Here, he just sticks to the topic: How was their art influenced by pain and suffering? But he provides just enough context to make us care about the subject -- even if you're not into a particular artist. I'm no fan of Michael Jackson, but the profile of him here kind of sums up why he was so screwed up. Zara makes a convincing case that art and pain are forever mixed.
And Zara handles it smartly in that he doesn't delve too much into their backgrounds and histories. You can read that stuff in any biography. Here, he just sticks to the topic: How was their art influenced by pain and suffering? But he provides just enough context to make us care about the subject -- even if you're not into a particular artist. I'm no fan of Michael Jackson, but the profile of him here kind of sums up why he was so screwed up. Zara makes a convincing case that art and pain are forever mixed.
November 16, 2023
from my notes:
the author says some pretty inaccurate and problematic things right in the introduction so i’m not expecting great writing here. I’m interested in the stories so i’ll read it anyway"
some good art history bits but awful cliche writing ruined it.
the author says some pretty inaccurate and problematic things right in the introduction so i’m not expecting great writing here. I’m interested in the stories so i’ll read it anyway"
some good art history bits but awful cliche writing ruined it.
May 30, 2024
“One of the earliest written acknowledgments of the link between creativity and mental distress appears in Plato’s Phaedrus, a dialogue in which Socrates asserts that the Muses themselves must inflict Greek poets with a ‘divine madness.’”
REVIEW: I was embarrassed to read this cos … that’s one terrible cover. As for its contents? Welllll it’s all a bit of a mess. Zara’s selection process is flawed and arbitrary and, frankly idiotic. OUT are Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, Gauguin & Bacon… IN are Lennie Bruce, laurel and hardy, Gilbert and Sullivan? Huh? 🤔 The turning point for me was his claim that Maria Callas’ demons were ‘carbs’ 😑 … then pokes fun at Sylvia Plath as having leftover teenage angst. His ‘funny misogyny’ vibe was tired and outdated. Like, I don’t care for Taylor Swift either but to kick-off the book slighting her says a lot about what Zara thinks constitutes a relevant argument. Ditto Rothko- I’m no Rothkolyte but, like, HELLO?! dude killed himself at 36. You’d THINK Zara might include him? There isn’t a central argument and most of the write-ups are short, pointless biographies. Like, ‘oh such and such had a hard life’ but aside from a handful of informative factoids I found him neither clever nor revelatory nor focused. I enjoyed the timeline at the end. Otherwise, a hard pass. 1.5/5
REVIEW: I was embarrassed to read this cos … that’s one terrible cover. As for its contents? Welllll it’s all a bit of a mess. Zara’s selection process is flawed and arbitrary and, frankly idiotic. OUT are Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, Gauguin & Bacon… IN are Lennie Bruce, laurel and hardy, Gilbert and Sullivan? Huh? 🤔 The turning point for me was his claim that Maria Callas’ demons were ‘carbs’ 😑 … then pokes fun at Sylvia Plath as having leftover teenage angst. His ‘funny misogyny’ vibe was tired and outdated. Like, I don’t care for Taylor Swift either but to kick-off the book slighting her says a lot about what Zara thinks constitutes a relevant argument. Ditto Rothko- I’m no Rothkolyte but, like, HELLO?! dude killed himself at 36. You’d THINK Zara might include him? There isn’t a central argument and most of the write-ups are short, pointless biographies. Like, ‘oh such and such had a hard life’ but aside from a handful of informative factoids I found him neither clever nor revelatory nor focused. I enjoyed the timeline at the end. Otherwise, a hard pass. 1.5/5
December 23, 2023
Author Has a Bland Wit
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. One star for boredom. I learned very little about the artists he wrote about because most of it is already common knowledge.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. One star for boredom. I learned very little about the artists he wrote about because most of it is already common knowledge.
April 8, 2019
I admired this book for excellent tragic stories of extremely successful people.
August 2, 2019
A well researched book about famous artists who achieved success despite their tortured lives which more often than not, succumbed to them in the end. Sad but true.
October 4, 2020
It is proven, lots of greatest artist facing a great torture in life before become so famous and have their work become timeless. I quite enjoy this book for the short history and straight to the point of view of how the artists tangle in a deep tragedies and it turn to be a muse for their masterpiece. And how some of them only being granted fame after years of passing away.
May 8, 2021
Quite a potpourri of artists who struggled with mental illness.
May 30, 2025
Temat bardzo ciekawy, ale bardzo nie rozwinięty. Historie opisane po łebkach, a sam autor często wkładał swoje 2 grosze, które tylko irytowały swoim pretensjonalnym tonem.
August 30, 2012
This book claims to explore the different types of misfortune and maladies that would, ultimately, set each artist apart in history and today. What I found were short profiles that gave quick blurbs about exactly what it was that "tortured" them and how their talent supposedly benefited from it. There was nothing in-depth, no real exploration into the persons' personal demons. It was like listening to a stranger prattle off little "did you know"s just for entertainment and not to really give you something to chew on mentally. I couldn't even finish the book, it was too repetitive and too bland to have the title "Tortured Artists" attached to it.
March 15, 2016
I found this work to be informative and even entertaining. It was basically different profiles of talented and famous people who had a great a deal of pain or anguish in their lives and how it led to their creativity.
September 1, 2016
Do you have to have a tortured mind to create great art? Not necessarily, but there certainly seems to be a correlation between the two. Interesting, eclectic read that has depth without going all psycho-babble.
April 6, 2015
Love to learn what made these artists tick...great quick read
January 17, 2016
Excellent, well-written little stories about famous artists whose demons (ranging from child abuse to substance abuse) influenced their art. Very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews