The Writer As Bad Guy
It would be nice if writers were all nice. Wishful thinking!
Here, just off the top of my head, is an Interesting brief list of significant writers I’ve enjoyed reading, but definitely do not qualify as nice guys.
- Arthur Rimbaud (druggie, gun runner)
- Paul Verlaine (attempted murderer of his teenage lover, Rimbaud)
- Gene Genet (repeatedly convicted thief and male prostitute)
- Marquis de Sade (sadist, misogynist)
- Louis-Ferdinand Céline (fascist and anti-Semite)
- Ezra Pound (fascist propagandist)
- Aleister Crowley (sex cult leader)
Of course these guys aren’t typical. And their good writing isn’t the result of their bad behaviour.
