Divine Madness

by Jeffrey A. Kottler

"Madness can afford the individual certain resources and abilities that are not available to others. The fantasy life, free flight of ideas, distortions of reality, and heightened senses . . . offer a unique perspective on the world."
—From the Introduction Why do some extraordinary individuals overcome mental anguish and produce brilliant creative artistry that is often enhanced by their madness? New York Times best-selling author and noted psychologist Jeffrey Kottler explores this fascinating question in Divine Madness . His book is filled with the compelling stories of emotional turmoil that many great artists have undergone as they struggle for success and survival. Jeffrey Kottler writes about the dramatic and tragic lives of cultural icons Sylvia Plath, Judy Garland, Mark Rothko, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Charles Mingus, Vaslav Nijinsky, Marilyn Monroe, Lenny Bruce, and Brian Wilson. In this riveting book, Kottler highlights the personal story of each of these extraordinary individuals and analyzes how they struggled to overcome their emotional hardships. Divine Madness clearly differentiates between those who surrendered to their illness, often taking their own lives, and those who managed to endure and even recover. Kottler details how their profound psychological issues affected their lives and work, their great productivity and success, and how they strove to achieve some kind of personal stability. The fascinating and brilliantly told stories in Divine Madness help us to find meaning in the incredible lives of these artists. They also serve as an inspiration for those who are grappling to rise above their own challenges and limitations and express themselves more productively and creatively.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Biography

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jeffrey A. Kottler is a professor, psychologist, author, consultant, workshop leader, keynote speaker, and social justice advocate who has spent the past 40 years working throughout the world to promote personal and professional development among professionals and marginalized groups. Jeffrey has worked as a teacher, counselor, therapist, and consultant in a variety of settings including a preschool, primary and secondary school, university, mental health center, crisis center, and corporate settings.

Reviews

[Georgia]

Overall an interesting read, however, some information is totally inaccurate or is not backed up with references, and the picture of Vaslav Nijinsky is not actually Vaslav Nijinsky, it's the guy who played him in the film 'Nijinsky,' from the '80s...

[Mindi]

Intriguing stories, a few of which I had never heard. I find it inspiring to see how such creative people rise above the ashes of their terrible pasts. Some of the author’s connections are tenuous but the stories alone are worth the read.

[Jeff Russo]

A decent mini-biography of various fugures with emphasis on mental health, but the style is sloggy and uninspiring. Odd, as the author is an experienced author. Perhaps too experienced

[Stefan]

The book is a bit sloppy (actually more than a bit sloppy)but the reader should try to see beyond this rather superficial carelessnesses because the author's central idea is extremely important: that great artists have turned their suffering into great achievements and it is this capacity that is the basic source of their greatness. It is not the madness as some claim but their way of taking their madness on and transcending it that yielded their great achievements. Kottler's therapeutic lesson: use your pain and suffering to achieve something worthwhile;
perhaps pain cannot be alleviated but it can be used, redeemed. Kottler must be outstanding as a therapist. A wonderful sprightly voice communicates itself on the page. I think it would be a delight to meet him, though he is probably inveterately busy--hence the research flaws in the book. If I lived in California, I would do my best to meet him.

[Barb Crumb]

Sorry. I finished this quite a while ago, but I'm still not using this site as I should. I'm sure lit's not totally factual, but I was so impresses with the concept that mental illness seems to be so highly correlated with creative genius. I remember hearing a quote from Einstein (I think)many years ago that there was a very thin line between genius and "madness" as her referred to it, Nd from my own limited experience, that seems to hold true.

[Emily]

"It is well known parachutists, mercenaries, and stunt drivers are engaged in dangerous professions. It is far less appreciated just how risky writing poetry can be, especially those like Plath who were already easily wounded, who experienced a lot of stressors at high intensity, and who had such a total commitment to their art." p. 28

read 1/2 of this book

[G]

artistic creativity and madness. related or not?

intriguing premise, not much in depth study. mini bios on famous artists of 20th C. (hemingway, plath, BRIAN WILSON, etc.). lots of liberties taken in recreating aspects of artists' lives, explaining how actions were affected by their madness. not clear w/ references.

[Carol]

Excellent book. Well researched, easy writing style, informative for anyone not just those interested in mental illness. Tells personal stories/insights into lives of famous creative people. Gives a different perspective than the popular tales.

[Velvetink]

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[Rosa]

These tragic lives are presented in a shallow, exploitative, sensational manner.