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Product Description
Guardian
"Widely admired ... Alvares does what Levi says: he writes what the politeness and prevarications of speech might have defeated."
Review
'To write about suicide... to transform the subject into something beautiful - this is the foreboding task that Alvarez set for himself... he has succeeded' New York Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are a lot of expectations going in to reading this book. You might expect a self-conscious act of catharsis, with Alvarex trying to exorcise the facts of his own failed suicide attempt. Fortunately, it is a literary quest through the attitudes, myths and mystiques that have been built around this intensely personal act from the time of the Greeks to the sixties 'extremist' poets, as he calls them; Plath, Hughes, Lowell.
The points of interest are mainly in the historical information he produces; before this I was unaware of the frequency of artistic suicides. Moving from period to period, this book is invaluable as an overview of changes in the English Literary tradition, all the time tied to the act of suicide.
So we are treated to chapters on Donne, Chatterton, The Romantics, and most interestingly for me, the Dadaists. The only low point comes in the very last chapter, when the writer becomes all 'confessional' regarding his own suicide, and seems to neglect some of the points he has made in treating other peoples attempts. Still though, a surprisingly relevant and informative book, of interest for anyone who has read the poetry of the last 400 years.
The points of interest are mainly in the historical information he produces; before this I was unaware of the frequency of artistic suicides. Moving from period to period, this book is invaluable as an overview of changes in the English Literary tradition, all the time tied to the act of suicide.
So we are treated to chapters on Donne, Chatterton, The Romantics, and most interestingly for me, the Dadaists. The only low point comes in the very last chapter, when the writer becomes all 'confessional' regarding his own suicide, and seems to neglect some of the points he has made in treating other peoples attempts. Still though, a surprisingly relevant and informative book, of interest for anyone who has read the poetry of the last 400 years.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An author who knows his subject from the inside is either a blessing or a curse. In the curst of The Savage God, it brings A. Alvarez closer to the subject and gives him insights into it that would never occur to normal people. His close relationship with Sylvia Plath, mentioned in detail during the opening "chapter" is also fascinating.
Begining each section with a quote from a notable source ("Dying is an art/Like everything else/ I do it exceptionally well/ I do it so it feels like hell/ I do it so it feels real/ I guess you could say I've a call") sets the mood rathar than acts as eye-candy or space filling.
As someone who hasnt read widely around the subject of suicide, it seems that Alvarez has presented the views of many many people in this book. Obviously he cannot mention all the views of eveyone but most groups, religious and historical seem to be at least nodded to. most are examined in some depth. Conclusions on the subject of suicide are frequent. Unfortunately, it is up to the individual reader how convinced they are. To someone who has read alot of essays on suicide, it may seem a little basic, perhaps, but to the rest of us, it is easy to read whilst maintaining a pleasing technical vocablury which allows us to acces the subject in question easilly. The Savage God is an introduction to suicide that allows people to understand the motivation behind it. If that is what you want... buy It. Simple.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Perfect communication,good product quality. The theme of the book is really interesting and well written. Rodriguez sets the subject of suicide from multiples angles.
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