JOHN J. ROSS is a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He lives in the Boston area with his family.
Dr. Ross hits his narrative stride... in chapter after chapter. The
stories of the wounded storytellers unfold smoothly on the page, as
mesmerizing as any they themselves might have told, those
squinting, wheezing, arthritic, infected, demented, defective yet
superlative examples of the human condition. "The New York Times" A
rollicking good story. "The Washington Post" [This] engrossing
account of the illnesses endured by Shakespeare, Milton, Swift, the
BrontA-s, Hawthorne, Melville, Yeats, Jack London, Joyce and
Orwell...which deftly mixes close reading and diagnostic acumen,
will stay with me for a long time. I have scarcely touched on the
richness of this witty and deeply humane book. It would be worth
reading for the extraordinary tale of the pathologically shy
Hawthorne...Dr. Ross avoids the common mistake of overconfidence in
his retrospective diagnoses, aware that nothing fits so neatly as a
wrong diagnosis. And he avoids the reductive temptation of
explaining the genius of his writers by pathologies that are, after
all, suffered also by the untalented. Though some of his stories
are familiar, they have never, in my experience, been told so well.
Given that many of Dr. Ross's subjects were suffering from
infectious diseases, it helps that this is his area of expertise.
But he is also a penetrating literary critic and a perceptive and
humane observer of the lives of writers and of those in their
orbit. His light touch with cultural, social and political history
is something from which many of the professionals in literary
studies could learn. This is a book to which I shall return again
and again. "The Wall Street Journal" Carefully looking at
distinguished authors from a medical perspective, Ross blends
biography, history, literature, science, and imagination in just
the right doses. "Booklist (starred review)" Lively, probing. "The
Washington Times" Especially recommended for readers who enjoy
historical context with their great books. "Kirkus Reviews" This
lively, occasionally squirm-inducing book sketches the case
histories of 10 writers whose health influenced their literary
work...Into a satisfying series of medical mysteries [Ross] injects
notes of wry humor and obvious affection. "The Boston Globe" ...a
fascinating, surprising, and at times hilarious compliation. "New
Scientist" Most writers aren't doctors. And most doctors aren't
writers. When the two talents coincide, readers are treated to rare
wisdom and novel insights. John Ross skillfully walks us through a
clinic of the famous unwell. "Nassir Ghaemi, author of A First-Rate
Madness and Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of
Medicine" We always long to know writers better: more than just
their words, we want to immerse ourselves in their lives, to really
feel what they felt. This book does that, plunging you in the
day-to-day pains and struggles of some of the most celebrated names
in the canon. "Sam Kean, author of The Disappearing Spoon and The
Violinists' Thumb" If this irresistibly entertaining collection of
medical biographies is anything to go by, its author would make a
crackerjack after-dinner speaker.Each section consists of a
whirlwind tour through the life of a famous literary figure from a
doctor's perspective, some of it imagined, and all of it punctuated
by witty and fun-loving asides...what sets Ross apart is his pure
storytelling ability.Using a fluid and unpretentious style, much
like fellow physician and writer Atul Gawande's, he excels at
condensing massive amounts of research into pleasurable reading.
"Winnipeg Free Press" The book is rather like a gripping medical
detective book as Ross works out what was wrong with a collection
of literary greats. "The Daily Telegraph" Ross has nicely merged
biographical data for each author with insightful discussions of
his proposed medical diagnoses, and how their symptoms and
treatments might have affected their work. While those in the
medical community will find this book of interest, it is
wonderfully engaging, often witty and quite intriguing to those of
us outside of it, too. "Shelf Awareness""
"Dr. Ross hits his narrative stride... in chapter after chapter.
The stories of the wounded storytellers unfold smoothly on the
page, as mesmerizing as any they themselves might have told, those
squinting, wheezing, arthritic, infected, demented, defective yet
superlative examples of the human condition."-- "The New York
Times""A rollicking good story."--"The Washington Post""[This]
engrossing account of the illnesses endured by Shakespeare, Milton,
Swift, the BrontAs, Hawthorne, Melville, Yeats, Jack London, Joyce
and Orwell...which deftly mixes close reading and diagnostic
acumen, will stay with me for a long time. I have scarcely touched
on the richness of this witty and deeply humane book. It would be
worth reading for the extraordinary tale of the pathologically shy
Hawthorne...Dr. Ross avoids the common mistake of overconfidence in
his retrospective diagnoses, aware that nothing fits so neatly as a
wrong diagnosis. And he avoids the reductive temptation of
explaining the genius of his writers by pathologies that are, after
all, suffered also by the untalented. Though some of his stories
are familiar, they have never, in my experience, been told so well.
Given that many of Dr. Ross's subjects were suffering from
infectious diseases, it helps that this is his area of expertise.
But he is also a penetrating literary critic and a perceptive and
humane observer of the lives of writers and of those in their
orbit. His light touch with cultural, social and political history
is something from which many of the professionals in literary
studies could learn. This is a book to which I shall return again
and again."--"The Wall Street Journal""Carefully looking at
distinguished authors from a medical perspective, Ross blends
biography, history, literature, science, and imagination in just
the right doses."--"Booklist" (starred review)"Lively,
probing."--"The Washington Times""Especially recommended for
readers who enjoy historical context with their great
books."--"Kirkus Reviews""""This lively, occasionally
squirm-inducing book sketches the case histories of 10 writers
whose health influenced their literary work...Into a satisfying
series of medical mysteries [Ross] injects notes of wry humor and
obvious affection."--"The Boston Globe"..".a fascinating,
surprising, and at times hilarious compliation."--"New
Scientist""Most writers aren't doctors. And most doctors aren't
writers. When the two talents coincide, readers are treated to rare
wisdom and novel insights. John Ross skillfully walks us through a
clinic of the famous unwell."--Nassir Ghaemi, author of "A
First-Rate Madness" and Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University
School of Medicine "We always long to know writers better: more
than just their words, we want to immerse ourselves in their lives,
to really feel what they felt. This book does that, plunging you in
the day-to-day pains and struggles of some of the most celebrated
names in the canon."--Sam Kean, author of "The Disappearing Spoon
"and" The Violinists' Thumb" """If this irresistibly entertaining
collection of medical biographies is anything to go by, its author
would make a crackerjack after-dinner speaker.Each section consists
of a whirlwind tour through the life of a famous literary figure
from a doctor's perspective, some of it imagined, and all of it
punctuated by witty and fun-loving asides...what sets Ross apart is
his pure storytelling ability.Using a fluid and unpretentious
style, much like fellow physician and writer Atul Gawande's, he
excels at condensing massive amounts of research into pleasurable
reading."--"Winnipeg Free Press" "The book is rather like a
gripping medical detective book as Ross works out what was wrong
with a collection of literary greats.""-- The Daily Telegraph""Ross
has nicely merged biographical data for each author with insightful
discussions of his proposed medical diagnoses, and how their
symptoms and treatments might have affected their work. While those
in the medical community will find this book of interest, it is
wonderfully engaging, often witty and quite intriguing to those of
us outside of it, too."--Shelf Awareness""
"Most writers aren't doctors. And most doctors aren't writers. When
the two talents coincide, readers are treated to rare wisdom and
novel insights. John Ross skillfully walks us through a clinic of
the famous unwell."--Nassir Ghaemi, author of "A First-Rate
Madness" and Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of
Medicine "We always long to know writers better: more than just
their words, we want to immerse ourselves in their lives, to really
feel what they felt. This book does that, plunging you in the
day-to-day pains and struggles of some of the most celebrated names
in the canon."--Sam Kean, author of "The Disappearing Spoon "and"
The Violinists' Thumb""Carefully looking at distinguished authors
from a medical perspective, Ross blends biography, history,
literature, science, and imagination in just the right
doses."--"Booklist" (starred review)"Especially recommended for
readers who enjoy historical context with their great
books."--"Kirkus Reviews""""This lively, occasionally
squirm-inducing book sketches the case histories of 10 writers
whose health influenced their literary work...Into a satisfying
series of medical mysteries [Ross] injects notes of wry humor and
obvious affection."--"The Boston Globe"..".a fascinating,
surprising, and at times hilarious compliation."--"New
Scientist""If this irresistibly entertaining collection of medical
biographies is anything to go by, its author would make a
crackerjack after-dinner speaker.Each section consists of a
whirlwind tour through the life of a famous literary figure from a
doctor's perspective, some of it imagined, and all of it punctuated
by witty and fun-loving asides...what sets Ross apart is his pure
storytelling ability.Using a fluid and unpretentious style, much
like fellow physician and writer Atul Gawande's, he excels at
condensing massive amounts of research into pleasurable
reading."--"Winnipeg Free Press""The book is rather like a gripping
medical detective book as Ro
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