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In “Hemingway’s Brain” A Psychiatrist Offers Diagnosis For Writer’s Demise

University of South Carolina Press
Credit University of South Carolina Press
/
University of South Carolina Press

Theories abound regarding why famed writer Ernest Hemingway shot and killed himself in Idaho in 1961. Some claim he suffered from bipolar disorder or that he had depression. But in the new book “Hemingway’s Brain” (University of South Carolina Press/2017), psychiatrist Andrew Farah offers a new theory.

Psychiatrist and author Andrew Farah talks about his new book, "Hemingway's Brain".

He proposes Hemingway suffered from a progressive degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This condition results from multiple blows to the head and is sometimes seen in boxers or NFL players.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Farah, chief of psychiatry at High Point Division of the University of North Carolina Healthcare System, about developing his theory and how Hemingway’s own writing left clues for this diagnosis. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.