Susanna Kaysen
author profile
born
November 11, 1948
gender
female
place of birth
Cambridge, Massachusetts, The United States
website
genre
Biographies & Memoirs, Literature & Fiction
about this author
Susanna Kaysen is an American author.
Kaysen was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kaysen attended high school at the Commonwealth School in Boston and the Cambridge School before being sent to McLean Hospital in 1967 to undergo psychiatric treatment for depression. It was there she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She was released after eighteen months. She later drew on this experience for her 1993 memoir Girl, Interrupted, which was made into a film in 1999, her role being played by Winona Ryder.
She is the daughter of the economist Carl Kaysen, a professor at MIT and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy. Her mother, deceased, was sister of architect Richard Neutra. Kaysen also h...more
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avg rating: 3.55
| 9,448 ratings
| 673 reviews
| 5 distinct works
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More books by Susanna Kaysen…
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Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen avg rating 3.57 — 7,990 ratings — published 1993 24 editions |
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The Camera My Mother Gave Me by Susanna Kaysen avg rating 3.27 — 230 ratings — published 2001 7 editions |
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Far Afield by Susanna Kaysen avg rating 3.73 — 63 ratings — published 1990 2 editions |
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Asa, as I Knew Him by Susanna Kaysen avg rating 3.41 — 49 ratings — published 1987 4 editions |
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Girl, Interrupted (Faber and Faber Screenplays) Screenplay based on the book by James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, Susanna Kaysen avg rating 3.53 — 47 ratings — published 2000 |
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"Suicide is a form of murder - premeditated murder. It isn't something you do the first time you think of doing it. It takes getting used to. And you need the means, the opportunity, the motive. A successful suicide demands good organization and a cool head, both of which are usually incompatible with the suicidal state of mind"
— Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted)
— Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted)
tags:
suicide
24 people liked it
"I think many people kill themselves simply to stop the debate about whether they will or they won't."
— Susanna Kaysen
— Susanna Kaysen
tags:
suicide
17 people liked it
"Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no hair, no wrinkles. It's like a slip cover. It shields and disguises what's beneath. That's why we grow it; we have something to hide. "
— Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted)
— Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted)
topics mentioning this author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009 | 6462 | 7594 | Jun 14, 2009 02:57PM |
