The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves
On sale
3rd February 2011
Price: £10.99
Genre
FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED AND A WOMAN LOOKING AT MEN LOOKING AT WOMEN
‘Provocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth . . . an extraordinary double story’ Oliver Sacks
‘It is Hustvedt’s gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear’ Hilary Mantel, Guardian
While speaking at a memorial event for her father, the novelist Siri Hustvedt suffered a violent seizure from the neck down. Was it triggered by nerves, emotion – or something else entirely?
In this profoundly thought-provoking and revealing book, Hustvedt takes the reader on her journey through psychiatry, philosophy, neuroscience and medical history in search of a diagnosis. Conveying the often frightening mysteries of illness, she illuminates the perennially mysterious connection between mind and body and what we mean by ‘I’.
‘She has an enviable ability to digest and reframe her discoveries into clear, accessible prose’ Sunday Telegraph
PRAISE FOR SIRI HUSTVEDT:
‘Hustvedt is that rare artist, a writer of high intelligence, profound sensuality and a less easily definable capacity for which the only word I can find is wisdom’ Salman Rushdie
‘It is Hustvedt’s gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear’ Hilary Mantel
‘Her novels have received a deserved acclaim. But to my mind, she is even more to be admired as an essayist . . . in this regard I feel that she resembles Virginia Woolf ‘ Observer
‘Few contemporary writers are as satisfying and stimulating to read as Siri Hustvedt’ Washington Post
‘Provocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth . . . an extraordinary double story’ Oliver Sacks
‘It is Hustvedt’s gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear’ Hilary Mantel, Guardian
While speaking at a memorial event for her father, the novelist Siri Hustvedt suffered a violent seizure from the neck down. Was it triggered by nerves, emotion – or something else entirely?
In this profoundly thought-provoking and revealing book, Hustvedt takes the reader on her journey through psychiatry, philosophy, neuroscience and medical history in search of a diagnosis. Conveying the often frightening mysteries of illness, she illuminates the perennially mysterious connection between mind and body and what we mean by ‘I’.
‘She has an enviable ability to digest and reframe her discoveries into clear, accessible prose’ Sunday Telegraph
PRAISE FOR SIRI HUSTVEDT:
‘Hustvedt is that rare artist, a writer of high intelligence, profound sensuality and a less easily definable capacity for which the only word I can find is wisdom’ Salman Rushdie
‘It is Hustvedt’s gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear’ Hilary Mantel
‘Her novels have received a deserved acclaim. But to my mind, she is even more to be admired as an essayist . . . in this regard I feel that she resembles Virginia Woolf ‘ Observer
‘Few contemporary writers are as satisfying and stimulating to read as Siri Hustvedt’ Washington Post
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Reviews
Provocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth...Hustvedt's erudite book deepens one's wonder about the relation of body and mind.
Readers of Oliver Sacks will rate this book highly; as with Sacks, scientific knowledge and a powerful capacity for empathy are closely linked...It is Hustvedt's gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear.
She thinks her way through complex subject matter with the effortless clarity of a poised and sceptical outsider...a short book with an encyclopaedic breadth
She has an enviable ability to digest and reframe her discoveries into clear, accessible prose
Fascinating...what gives the book its originality is that she wavers on the edge of the various disciplines, preferring her own imaginative, deeply personal reflections to the potential certainty that might be offered by doctors...Although a desire for clear-cut answers is understandable, Hustvedt suggests that this is often far from possible. And she leaves the reader thinking about his or her own bouts of illness in a thoroughly fresh way.