Using the untimely death of the poet and friend, Sylvia Plath, as a point of departure, Al Alvarez confronts the controversial and often taboo area of human behaviour: suicide. "The Savage God" explores the cultural attitudes, theories, truths and fallacies surrounding suicide and refracts them through the windows of philosophy, art and literature: following the black thread leading from Dante, through Donne, Chatterton and the Romantic Agony, to Dada and Pavese. Entwined within this sensitive study is the author's deeply ...
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Using the untimely death of the poet and friend, Sylvia Plath, as a point of departure, Al Alvarez confronts the controversial and often taboo area of human behaviour: suicide. "The Savage God" explores the cultural attitudes, theories, truths and fallacies surrounding suicide and refracts them through the windows of philosophy, art and literature: following the black thread leading from Dante, through Donne, Chatterton and the Romantic Agony, to Dada and Pavese. Entwined within this sensitive study is the author's deeply personal account of his own unsuccessful suicide attempt, and together they form the most fascinating and compelling meditation on the "Savage God" at the heart of human existence.
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Add this copy of The Savage God-a Study of Suicide to cart. $14.00, very good condition, Sold by Ed Buryn Books rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Nevada City, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1972 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
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Seller's Description:
Fine unmarked, in VeryGood bright jacket with one edge tear. Detailed and compassionate study of suicide. Nice clean tight copy of scarce British edition. 5-1/2 x 8-3/4, 250 pp, index, notes.
Add this copy of The Savage God: a Study of Suicide to cart. $24.36, fair condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1971 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Dust jacket in fair condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 550grams, ISBN: 0297993585.
Add this copy of The Savage God: a Study of Suicide to cart. $25.00, like new condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1971 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Very Good jacket. First edition. 249pp. Tiny nick on the top edge of front board, else fine in a very good dust jacket with curling, tiny tears on the front panel, and light toning.
Add this copy of The Savage God: a Study of Suicide to cart. $32.63, poor condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1972 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. Clean from markings In poor condition, suitable as a reading copy. No dust jacket. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 450grams, ISBN: 0297993585.
Add this copy of The Savage God: a Study of Suicide, to cart. $45.00, good condition, Sold by Chapter 1 Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA, published 1972 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
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Seller's Description:
Good in Good jacket. Size: 0x0x0; the jacket is a bit torn and creased. some usage markings. all pages are intact and presentable. fairly good copy. SK]
This is an excellent study of suicide and talk about suicide from very early days (the Greeks and Romans) until today. It has an especially insightful study of Sylvia Plath's suicide at the beginning. Alvarez believes her suicide was a cry for help gone wrong. Indeed, he tends to think that suicide is, largely, an act of desperation, and not something done with good reason. I think he limits suicide too much to such contexts. He misunderstands the place that suicide plays in the life story of many people, for whom it comes as a blessed release from suffering or the prospect of greater suffering. It is, nonetheless, a necessary book on the shelves of anyone wanting to know about suicide. He has some very interesting details, many taken from John Donne's "Biathanatos", of suicide in the ancient (especially the Roman) world. Well worth reading. It is also a wonderfully expressive book, written by a poet, so its ability to evoke time and place and mood in striking ways is an added bonus in a book on such an apparently morbid subject.
