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Original Essays | September 17, 2013
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Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoirby Ellen Forney
Staff Pick
In Marbles, Ellen Forney explores the relationship between mental illness and creativity. A working cartoonist in Seattle, she is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and must decide whether to accept treatment (and risk sacrificing her art) or continue self-medicating and hope for the best. Marbles is a satisfying read, both as a personal memoir and as a glimpse into the relationship between bipolar disorder and the artistic temperament. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between "crazy" and "creative" in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers.
Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to "cure" an otherwise brilliant mind. Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forney's memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist's work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose. Review:"Eisner nominee Forney confesses her struggles with being diagnosed as bipolar in this witty and insightful memoir. Beginning with the manic episode that led to her diagnosis, Forney chronicles her journey toward reconciling the dual natures of bipolar disorder: a dangerous disease, but also a source of inspiration for many artists. The long journey of medication and therapy is kept from gloom by Forney's lively, likable cartooning. Alternating among her cartoonish panels, realistic illustrations, and photographs of the sketch pad she kept as part of her therapy, Forney allows her art to chronicle her outer life while revealing her inner state of mind. Her personal journey provides a core story that examines her mood disorders and their connection to creativity for the many 'crazy artists' she imagines as part of 'Club van Gogh.' Readers struggling with their own mania or depression will find Forney good company, and others searching for insight into the minds of troubled artists will find Forney an engaging storyteller." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review:"Ellen Forney's memoir of her bipolar diagnosis and long pharmacopic trek toward balance is painfully honest and joyously exuberant. Her drawings evoke the neuron-crackling high of mania and the schematic bleakness of depression with deft immediacy. Forney is at the height of her powers as she explores the tenuous line between mood disorders and creativity itself." Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Review:"Dense with intellectual and emotional power, Forney's book is a treasure — as a memoir, as an artwork, and as a beautifully conceived and executed commentary on both mental experience and the creative life. With wit, humor, a wicked sense of the absurd, and eloquent insight into the beauty that shines through the mercurial life of the mind, this graphic memoir explores its subject with a particular precision and power. Forney should be read." Marya Hornbacher, author of Madness: A Bipolar Life
Review:"Ellen's work has always been hilarious and sharp, but Marbles has an emotional resonance that shows new depth as an artist and a writer. This is an extremely personal, brave, and rewarding book." Dan Savage, editor of It Gets Better and author of The Kid
Review:"I have always admired Ellen Forney's humor and honesty, but Marbles is a major leap forward. It's a hilarious memoir about mental illness, yes, but it's also an incisive study of what it means to be human and how we ache to become better humans. Amazing stuff." Sherman Alexie, bestselling author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Review:"Not only does her conversational intimacy draw readers in, but her drawings perfectly capture the exhilarating frenzy of mania and the dark void of depression....Forney's story should resonate with those grappling with similar issues, while her artistry should appeal to a wide readership." Kirkus Reviews, Starred Reviews
Synopsis:Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between andldquo;crazyandrdquo; and andldquo;creativeandrdquo; in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers. and#160; Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia Oandrsquo;Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to andldquo;cureandrdquo; an otherwise brilliant mind. Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forneyandrsquo;s memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artistandrsquo;s work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose. About the AuthorEllen Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder shortly before her thirtieth birthday. A lifelong cartoonist, she collaborated with Sherman Alexie on National Book Award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and created Eisner Award-nominated comic books I Love Led Zeppelin and Monkey Food: The Complete "I Was Seven in '75" Collection. She teaches comics courses at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington.
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Other books you might likeRelated SubjectsBiography » General Featured Titles » Arts Featured Titles » Biography Featured Titles » General Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » Alternative Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » General Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » Nonfiction Health and Self-Help » Self-Help » Depression
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