Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00

Darkness Visible

A Memoir of Madness

Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00
In 1985 William Styron fell victim to a crippling and nearly suicidal depression. This book is his description of his descent into depression, an unprecedented account of the journey into madness. That he manages to convey its tortuous progression and his eventual recovery with such candor and precision makes this book a rare work that will arouse a shock of recognition even among those who have been spared the suffering it describes.

"A chilling yet hopeful report from a mental wilderness into which one in ten Americans disappears."--Chicago Sun-Times

"A striking addition to the notable personal accounts of mental illness."--The Washington Post Book World
William Styron (1925–2006), a native of the Virginia Tidewater, was a graduate of Duke University and a veteran of the US Marine Corps. His books include The Confessions of Nat Turner, Sophie’s Choice, and Darkness Visible. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the William Dean Howells Medal, the American Book Award, the Witness to Justice Award from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, and the Légion d’Honneur. With his wife, the poet and activist Rose Styron, he lived for most of his adult life in Roxbury, Connecticut, and in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, where he is buried. View titles by William Styron

About

In 1985 William Styron fell victim to a crippling and nearly suicidal depression. This book is his description of his descent into depression, an unprecedented account of the journey into madness. That he manages to convey its tortuous progression and his eventual recovery with such candor and precision makes this book a rare work that will arouse a shock of recognition even among those who have been spared the suffering it describes.

"A chilling yet hopeful report from a mental wilderness into which one in ten Americans disappears."--Chicago Sun-Times

"A striking addition to the notable personal accounts of mental illness."--The Washington Post Book World

Author

William Styron (1925–2006), a native of the Virginia Tidewater, was a graduate of Duke University and a veteran of the US Marine Corps. His books include The Confessions of Nat Turner, Sophie’s Choice, and Darkness Visible. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the William Dean Howells Medal, the American Book Award, the Witness to Justice Award from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, and the Légion d’Honneur. With his wife, the poet and activist Rose Styron, he lived for most of his adult life in Roxbury, Connecticut, and in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, where he is buried. View titles by William Styron

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more