The sixteen writers who committed suicide

Studies say that writers are twice as likely to commit suicide as other people. Below are 16 of them who ended their lives.

Gerard De Neval (1808-1855)

Nerval was known as a romantic poet who suffered from melancholy for a long time. After his girlfriend broke up with him, Nerval hanged himself from a pole in the street.

John Berryman (1914-1972)

The American poet was only 11 years old when his father committed suicide, and this tragedy had an impact on his literature as well as his personal life. During his adult life, Berryman had problems with alcohol, for which he was hospitalized several times. On January 7, 1972, jumped from the Washington Bridge in Minneapolis.

Jack London (1876-1916)

The world's first 'billionaire' writer suffered from bipolar disorder and it is suspected that this drove him to commit suicide. Although there are still doubts about his suicide, the suicide-related themes he has dealt with in the works have led people to think that he may have killed himself on purpose.

Stefan Zweig (1881-1942)

Zweig was in exile and was deeply depressed about the situation in Europe at the time. He committed suicide with his wife, in Rio de Janeiro, on February 22, 1942. Among other things, his suicide note said: "Europe is destroyed."

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

The famous English writer suffered from a major depression after she finished writing her last book. In 1941, he filled his pockets with stones and threw himself into the River Ouse.

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

During the time that the Jewish writer was in exile in Paris, the Germans occupied France and his house was occupied by Nazi soldiers. He escaped to the town of Portbou, on the border with Spain, but every time he was afraid that the Nazis would catch him, so it is said that he committed suicide by overdosing on morphine.

Sergei Yesenin (1895-1925)

Problems with alcohol and in the relationship with his wife caused Yesenin to spend some time in a psychiatric hospital. However, when he was released from hospital, for Christmas, he hanged himself in a hotel room in Moscow. A letter was found near his body that he had left for his friend Mayakovski.

Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930)

Like his friend Yesenin, Mayakovsky could not make peace with life. He committed suicide in Moscow, at a time when he was very pessimistic about people's disloyalty to the revolution.

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

The American author suffered from depression, paranoia and alcoholism throughout his life. He shot himself in the head in the summer of 1961.

Anne Sexton (1928-1974)

Sexton also suffered from depression, said to have suicidal tendencies, which can be seen in her books. Even in the book "Suicide of Anne Sexton", her death is described in these words: "She took off her mother's old coat, took off all the rings, filled a glass of vodka, locked herself in the garage, started the car engine of her, committing suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning".

Cesare Pavese (1908-1950)

The Italian poet, critic and translator Pavese took an overdose of sleeping pills and ended his life in a hotel room in Turin.

Romain Gary (1914-1980)

Romain Gary was the only author to win the Prix Goncourt twice, once under his real name and the second time under the pseudonym Emile Ajar. It is suspected that he ended his life influenced by the tragedy of his wife's death in 1979.

Primo Levi (1919-1987)

Levi had said that he lost his faith in God after he was captured by the Nazis and sent to the Auschwitz camp. At the age of 68, he jumped from the stairs of the building where he lived.

Yukio Mishima (1925-1970)

The Japanese writer, who was also a nationalist, formed his own right wing police called "Tatenokai". Together with this group, he went to Tokyo where he visited the Eastern Command of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, took the commander hostage and presented their demands. After his speech failed to inspire the soldiers, Mishima returned to his office and committed a type of suicide known in Japan as 'seppuku'.

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

The American poet suffered from severe bipolar disorder. She was in her second year of college when she attempted suicide for the first time, yet she graduated as a successful woman. In 1963, she left milk and cookies ready for her children, closed the door to make sure the gas didn't seep in, and reportedly committed suicide by sticking her head in the oven.

David Foster Wallace (1962-2008)

One of the most talented authors of contemporary American literature, David Foster Wallace, suffered from depression for nearly 20 years. He ended his life in September 2008. /Source: Onedio/Translated by: albeu/