The Savage God: A Study of Suicide

THE SAVAGE GOD is a masterpiece despite the fact that it reeks of the english department. And despite the fact that Clive James was right when he accused Alvarez of being guilty of "full frontal solemnity". And like James also said, Alvarez was ludicrously portentious to claim that modern life is far more suicide-provoking than ancient life. The world has *always* been a hellhole. One of my favorite quotes concerns Alvarez's... Read Full Review

Alvarez's classic book, "The Savage God," examines the religious, sociological, philosophical and literary aspects of suicide through the ages. In pagan Rome, suicide was habitual and considered an honorable way to die. In the Middle Ages, suicide was regarded with revulsion as a mortal sin. Dante, in his "Inferno," consigned suicides to the seventh circle of hell, below the burning heretics and murderers. Later on, the... Read Full Review

I used to read "The Savage God" whenever I was 'in the midst of a dark wood', which for me at least, seemed to occur once every three years. For some reason, the stories of other people's despair and suicide, including Alvarez's own attempted suicide always steadied me. His book is a very literate account of why suicide is such a waste of life and talent. I wouldn't call it a cheerful book, but for me at least, reading it... Read Full Review

As someone who suffers from Major Depression and has been suicidal from time to time I've tried to read up on the subject of suicide. This book by A. Alvarez has to be the best study I've read to date. It might be because he himself attempted suicide at one point of his life and therefore has first-hand experience of the subject matter. It might also be because he writes with intelligence and has total control of the english... Read Full Review

Alvarez's examination of suicide is far different than any other I have encountered. Unlike most other suicide-related texts which examine suicide from a simplified personal level (recounts, anecdotes, etc.) unsuitable for scholarly use or address suicide as a purely medical phenomenon, the author intelligently examines suicide form several different angles. His investigation begins and ends with his poignant tale of his... Read Full Review