Comments on: Books on Writers and Alcohol?

Question: Books on Writers and Alcohol?

Gnostic Novelist — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:39:08 -0800

I'm looking for books dealing with writers and alcohol, or writers writing about alcohol. I own four books on the subject: The Thirsty Muse: Alcohol and the American Writer Alcohol and the Writer A Drinking Companion: Alcohol and Writers' Lives The Muse in the Bottle: Great Writers on the Joy of Drinking

By: Gordion Knott

Gordion Knott — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:45:12 -0800

Grab "The Journals of John Cheever." Extremely moving and candid meditations on his life problems, most of which revolved around booze and the lack thereof.

By: Prospero

Prospero — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:52:22 -0800

Two books by journalists:

Pete Hamill--A Drinking Life
Caroline Knapp--Drinking: A Love Story

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:56:17 -0800

Jim Atkinson, a long time writer for Texas Monthly , wrote a little book called The view from Nowhere that was about finding the best bars in America. It comes off much more as a road trip book than a real guide, and there was plenty of musing about alcohol in it. He's since gone on the wagon

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:07:36 -0800

So... you're looking for non-fiction books? I'm not sure I follow "writers writing about alcohol".

Regardless, I offer up Paradise, by AL Kennedy.

By: ejaned8

ejaned8 — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:09:10 -0800

Witness to the Fire: Creativity and the Veil of Addiction is a good book (it uses Dostovesky, Eugene O'Neill, Jean Rhys, and Jack London) that talks in general about addiction, and some about alcohol in particular.

By: flarbuse

flarbuse — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:23:10 -0800

You might really enjoy the three books that Frederick Exley wrote. They are fictional autobiographies that deal with his drinking. The first is called "A Fan's Notes." I found them to be among the best books I have ever read.

By: terpia

terpia — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:28:06 -0800

I'll second the recommendation of Pete Hamill's A Drinking Life (and provide the Powell's link to it)

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:31:40 -0800

The scholarly Equivocal Spirits is a good read (and by a former professor of mine).

By: horsemuth

horsemuth — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:52:20 -0800

The mere mention of the combination of drinking and writing would not be complete without the mention of Charles Bukowski

By: londongeezer

londongeezer — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:02:30 -0800

Moskva-Petushki. A Russian classic.

By: scratch

scratch — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:11:40 -0800

Although I have yet to read it, A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates must deal with alcohol and writers, since Richard Yates was a raging alcoholic as well as an excellent writer. He wrote some fiction about raging alcoholic writers, too.

By: Gnostic Novelist

Gnostic Novelist — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:18:23 -0800

So... you're looking for non-fiction books? I'm not sure I follow "writers writing about alcohol".

Well, both would do. For example, "The Muse in the Bottle" is poetry/fiction mostly.

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:26:02 -0800

New Orleans author Poppy Z. Brite has been writing a series of books starting with Liquor: A Novel, featuring alcohol in many forms as a major theme.

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:32:46 -0800

The Crack-Up by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Big Sur by Jack Keroauc

By: unclewilly

unclewilly — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:34:53 -0800

Keith Abbott's Downstream from Trout Fishing in America: A Memoir recounts Richard Brautigan's writing career, which included much booze. (Abbott was a close friend.)

By: NotMyselfRightNow

NotMyselfRightNow — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:04:43 -0800

Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times

By: Sloben

Sloben — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:25:06 -0800

Jack London's autobiographical John Barleycorn deals quite a bit with his alcoholism, as well as chronicling some of his intriguing life.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:57:50 -0800

Drink: A Social History of America

By: ewiar

ewiar — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:17:15 -0800

Stephen King's On Writing is highly worthwhile in its own right, and touches on King's alcoholism and its impact on his writing.

By: sillygit

sillygit — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 21:46:20 -0800

Under The Influence: The Literature of Addiction may be another to consider. While not all selections are in reference to alcohol, there are quite a few.

By: punkbitch

punkbitch — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:06:27 -0800

Oh man, I wish I'd seen this earlier. I own (reprint of): The True Drunkard's Delight, by William Juniper - which has provided me with endless Bachic inspiration. Looks like there are some cheap copies here.