“Memory, in short, is engraved not merely by the life we have led but by the life of the mind…by all the lives we so nearly led but missed by an inch, and—if we grant enough leeway to the imagination—by the lives of others, which can cut into ours every bit as sharply as our own experience.” – Anthony Lane, writing about W.G. Sebald in The New Yorker (May 29, 2000)
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Author Archives: Kara Krauze
Hollywood and the army base, and bipolar realities
On the one hand, we have Catherine Zeta-Jones checking into an exclusive mental-health facility, diagnosed with bipolar II disorder within five days, and less than a month after that adorning the cover of People magazine. On the other, we find … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Suicide, War, Writing & Reading
Tagged Andrew Solomon, army wives, bipolar disorder, Catherine Zeta-Jones, depression, Jennifer Egan, Jessica Harp, Kay Redfield Jamison, memory, military, post-traumatic stress disorder, reading, Styron, suicide attempt, suicide notes, The Noonday Demon
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What we want to say—when someone else is grieving
Grief and loss are difficult topics to broach. Death makes us uncomfortable, often renders our words inadequate. In recent months, several people in my life have been dealing with the death of an intimate (none by suicide), a child, a … Continue reading
David Foster Wallace’s widow, Karen Green, speaks about his suicide
A full post will be coming soon…. In the meantime, don’t miss this wonderful interview with David Foster Wallace’s widow, artist Karen Green, in The Observer, a major Sunday paper in Britain (“Karen Green: ‘David Foster Wallace’s suicide turned him … Continue reading
Posted in Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged David Foster Wallace, depression, grief, Karen Green, suicide, suicide survivors, The Pale King, writing
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“See that my brain”—a suicide note’s mixed message
Dave Duerson, former NFL player for the Chicago Bears and two-time Super Bowl champion, shot himself in the chest in February. I don’t usually make it to the sports page, so the news reached my radar when his death hit … Continue reading
Remembering—who we are
I’ve been dipping into a fascinating book, In Search of Memory, by Eric R. Kandel, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize. A particular passage has been sticking in my head in which Kandel addresses “the role of memory and dysfunction … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Memory, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged Austin Ratner, depression, Eric Kandel, Freud, grief, In Search of Memory, memory, mental illness, narrative, The Jump Artist, writing
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Ulnar-nerved Mama—when you want to be a superhero
Here I am at the computer, wondering whether the internet, particularly its subset, or offspring, known as the blog, should be classified as heavy machinery, which I’ve been warned to refrain from using. The doctor seems to think I can … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged depression, medical, memory, motherhood, reading, suicide, superheroes, ulnar nerve, writing
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The legacy of suicide – Mark Madoff redux
I usually save this space for original essays (using tumblr—karakrauze.tumblr.com—for interesting articles, quotes, and tidbits). But The New York Post, admittedly not my usual go-to paper, recently published a story about Stephanie Madoff that speaks to the legacy of suicide—the … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Suicide
Tagged "Madoff's Ultimate Victim", "The Madoff Tapes", Bernie Madoff, grief, Mark Madoff, memory, motherhood, Stephanie Madoff, suicide, suicide survivors
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From Russia with love—unexpected gifts and the open horizons of youth
Last week I met Cynthia Ozick, stood within (almost) spitting distance of Meryl Streep, and received a surprise package from Russia. First of all, I would never, ever spit at Meryl Streep. She is amazing. Since I first saw her … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Poland, Russia, Writing & Reading
Tagged Cynthia Ozick, In My Mother's House, Kim Chernin, memory, Meryl Streep, Moscow, motherhood, russia, women writers
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What Cynthia Ozick said to me—and a few other things
So, the hours I was supposed to spend yesterday morning revising yesterday’s (that is today’s) blog post, I ended up passing at the Hospital for Joint Diseases. No, nothing serious. At least that’s how I prefer to think about loss … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Suicide, War, Writing & Reading
Tagged Cynthia Ozick, memory, National Arts Club, post-traumatic stress disorder, reading, suicide, ulnar nerve, VIDA, women writers, World War II, writing
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A gulf to fall into: suicide in the house
My father was a difficult child. Already I forget where I learned this. I can almost hear my aunt telling me in her matter-of-fact way. But then I see the tiny, cramped script of my grandmother’s journal. But, no, the phrasing … Continue reading
Kara Krauze 