Darkness Visible

The acclaimed author of Sophie's Choice wrote this 1990 memoir to document his severe, near-fatal bout with clinical depression in the mid-1980s. He was inspired to write it after an audience reacted coldly to a speech he gave about depression, realizing how misunderstood the disease truly was.

The phrase is taken from John Milton's epic 1667 poem Paradise Lost, where it describes the gloomy darkness of Hell. Styron uses the phrase to perfectly encapsulate the suffocating, physical pain of a major depressive episode.

Styron details the failures of the psychiatric drugs he was prescribed and how they exacerbated his insomnia and despair. He ultimately credits his recovery to a combination of psychiatric hospitalization, which provided a safe asylum, and the slow passage of time.

Published in 1990, the book was groundbreaking because a highly respected, masculine literary figure was openly discussing his mental breakdown and suicidal ideation. It is credited with fundamentally shifting public discourse around mental illness, removing much of the stigma associated with major depression.