David's Inferno

Copyright © 2013 David Blistein

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request
.
eISBN: 978-1-57826-430-8

Cover and interior design by Dede Cummings/
DCDESIGN

All photos by the author
Author photo by Beowulf Sheehan

The author would like to thank the following authors for permission to quote from their work:

Peter Schjedahl, Jerod Poore, Susan Orlean, and Sid Mukherjee.

“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen. Copyright © 1975 Bruce Springsteen, renewed © 2003 Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP) Reprinted by permission. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.

Jane Kenyon, excerpts from “Credo” and “The Suitor” from Collected Poems. Copyright © 2005 by The Estate of Jane Kenyon. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc. on behalf of Graywolf Press,
www.graywolfpress
.

Harriet Rubin Excerpt Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. from
Dante in Love
by Harriet Rubin. Copyright © 2004 Harriet Rubin.

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v3.1

For Wendy

Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness
        I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
.

—Bruce Springsteen

“Beyond the obvious—that it's a travelogue of an emotional journey, a Fodor's Guide to the troubled soul—the great insight of
David's Inferno
is that life and literature are interwoven, that we can look to even ancient books for wisdom, diagnoses, and hope. Blistein's frenetic, torturous—and surprise, funny!—tale offers all three in just the proper dosages.”

—J.C. H
ALLMAN
, author of
Wm & H'ry: Literature, Love, and the Letters Between William and Henry James

“Why would I want to read so much about another person's life except that it's self-revealing, honest, illuminated with humor, and urgent. It has a reason for being; a perfect storm of a book.”

—K
ABIR
H
ELMINSKI
, Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufism and Co-Director of the Threshold Society

“There is no hushed reverence, no self-aggrandizing, no simple tried and true cures … just a shared battle and a stunning honesty.”

—W
ILL
A
CKERMAN
, Grammy Award winner and founder of Windham Hill Records

“Warm and compassionate, often hilarious, and full of hope and encouragement … If you love someone who is depressed (or who you think might be), read this book.”

—C
AROLINE
C
ARR
, author of
Living with Depression: How to Cope When Your Partner is Depressed

“David Blistein takes depression—something scary and overwhelming—and makes it approachable through this remarkable new book. He brings to his story a great deal of practical and scientific information without ever losing sight of the human element.”

—R
EBECCA
J
ONES
, MD, Founder of the Vermont Greenprint for Health, and Vermont Director for Doctors for America

“This record of a writing life, a talented man's self-examination, a marriage, all enduring the scalding tides those beset by depression know, stands out particularly for its articulated wisdom and graceful prose. It is plain-spoken, funny, and at times almost heartbreaking. But insight is what gets us all by and the most insightful writing is always help in need.
David's Inferno
, with its wit and thoughtfulness, is a gift to be cherished.”

—R
OBERT
S
TONE
, winner of the National Book Award for
Dog Soldiers
and Pulitzer Prize Nominee for
Bear and His Daughters

“From Plato to Plath, the great literary minds of our era have written about the descent into madness, but only one book both chronicles and heals, providing us a helping hand while also promising that we are not alone: David Blistein's
David's Inferno
. For anyone searching for meaning in this fragmented world, this profound, brilliant, compellingly fresh memoir is your siren call home. Don't miss it.”

—S
UZANNE
K
INGSBURY
, author of
The Summer Fletcher Greel Loved Me
and
The Gospel According to Gracie

“There are times when it seems that the storms will never end, that the vortex of madness will devour all hope—but there is tomorrow, and this is the story and promise of David Blistein's
David's Inferno
.”

—D
R
. M
ICHAEL
C
ONFORTI
, Jungian Analyst and Founder/Director of The Assisi Institute

“Blistein's book is a searingly honest and deeply researched account of a mysterious and pervasive illness. He takes us into the heart of his Inferno, combing through the clinical and scientific literature and plumbing personal testimonies to create a vivid, unforgettable image of this very personal form of hell. This is a wonderful and important book.”

—S
IDDHARTHA
M
UKHERJEE
, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning
The Emperor of All Maladies