Synopses & Reviews
In Witness to the Fire, Linda Schierse Leonard, Ph.D., explores the dark and fiery journey of transformation from the bondage of addiction to the freedom of recovery through creativity. A Jungian analyst, Leonard studies the relationship of creativity and addiction in the lives of writers such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Eugene O'Neill, Jean Rhys, and Jack London, as well as the experiences of ordinary men and women. Leonard holds out the hope that anyone bound by addiction can reclaim the power that fuels dependency for a life of joy and creativity.
Synopsis
This powerful book spans the realms of Jungian psychology, existential philosophy, and literary analysis to explore the relationship between addiction and creativity. By examining the lives of writers such as Dostoevsky, Jean Rhys, and Eugene O'Neill, as well as the experiences of people in recovery, Leonard notes the high percentage of addicts in the creative arts, while also looking at the ways in which addiction can throw light on the creative process and how the creative journey can contribute to the healing of addiction.
Description
Includes bibliographic references (p. 355-372) and index.
About the Author
Linda Schierse Leonard is the author of Creation's Heartbeat, Meeting the Madwoman, Witness to the Fire, and On the Way to the Wedding.