Notes From the Sick Room

by Steve Finbow

Notes from the Sick Room is a study of the relationship between physical illness and creativity in art, literature and music. Much has been written on the links between mental health and creating art, but very little has focused on physical ailments, despite the widely known illnesses of many. Looks at a wide range of artists from the Brontes to Bowie, Chopin to Coetzee, from Kafka to Kathy Acker. Explores changing attitudes to sickness and disability, as well as how illness and treatment influences both methodology and art itself. Notes from the Sick Room takes place in an imaginary hospital that bends the rules of time and space. Within its wards and departments we meet artists, musicians and writers who have suffered from various physical illnesses - cancer, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and physical trauma. Their lives and works are discussed in an attempt to diagnose how their complaints influenced their work or how their creativity affected their symptoms. We meet Virginia Woolf, Kathy Acker, Frida Kahlo, Katherine Mansfield, Bob Dylan Bruce Chatwin and many others as they struggle to produce works of art, literature and music while in denial, acceptance or flight and through periods of serious illness and convalescence. As we move through the hospital, specialists keep us informed of the history of creativity and illness and the author divulges his own medical history.

Genres: Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2017

Reviews

[Simon Robs · Rating 3 out of 5]

“What is there to confess that’s worthwhile or useful? What has happened to us has happened to everyone or only to us; if to everyone, then it’s no novelty, and if only to us, then it won’t be understood.” This quote from Pessoa’s "The Book of Disquiet" (my current/next read) seems apropos for intro to "Notes From The Sick Room."

Everybody dies and most of us are sick, at least some of the time or, live with compromised faculty if not disability of some sort, right? So it goes. Even as science advances health care to entertain the idea that life spans may increase significantly to the point of what? forever? Nonsense, at least for now. Sickness unto death as promulgator to artistic design is the focus of Finbow’s book/study “NFTSR” as he profiles several writers/artists throughout recorded history who, in spite of and/or associated with their respective ailments were able to create indelible works which stand as testament to human achievement in the arts. Finbow himself is a writer with what seems like constant recurring issues with health and he too credits this as motivating factor to produce. He lays out in technical med/argot his multiple hospitalizations and ongoing drama of maintaining a semblance of stamina to complete his projects interspersed with a host of writers/artists’ own dilemmas and their created works. Many of the books I’ve read this year have their origins in sickness if not as subject matter likewise. Virginia Woolf "On Being Ill," Elaine Scary "The Body in Pain," Thomas Mann "The Magic Mountain" and ALL of Thomas Bernhard, etc. I, myself, have logged a cumulative 9 months’ worth of hospital time – a month’s worth in critical condition/ICU on two separate occasions – 2 near death experiences so that, I know of which I speak. All’s well that ends well and/or but, all ends in that deep well of non-existence, oh well.

“Suffering is solitude hypostatized as essence.” NFTSR

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Ben O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book while sick. Probably not a good idea.

The writing is very advanced, go into it with prior knowledge of the artists in this book.

The author explains that physical illness, though detrimental, is necessary to experience the world. Life is nothing but the body experiencing the world, the mind is just along to interpret what is happening. It is not until illness seeps into the body that the mind and body become detached. The mind finds it difficult to wrangle in the body that is now working against it.

The reason why we enjoy artists who’s art draws inspiration from their illness is because we want to escape reality. Art is necessary to escape the truth. We connect with Frida because her art is a display of her pain, this raw presentation draws our mind in because it too understands how difficult it is to feel as tho the body is an enemy.

Great read, very hard to digest information, take a good amount of time to sit with each of the chapters.

DON’T READ WHILE SICK

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

illness stops and shreds or it’s impetus and fuel but eventually we all die and that’s not a metaphor

down with the sickness is exactly how i imagine someone with TB coughs

[C]

dnf