What We Knew Without Knowing
10 days ago
- #Mental Health
- #Joan Didion
- #Literary Archive
- Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne had a highly collaborative literary marriage.
- The New York Public Library opened the Didion-Dunne archive, revealing personal notes from Didion to Dunne about her psychiatric sessions.
- Didion's notes reflect her concerns about their daughter Quintana Roo's struggles with depression and alcoholism, as well as her own reflections on aging and creative fulfillment.
- The notes, titled 'Notes to John,' provide insight into Didion's thought process and emotional state, which influenced her later memoirs 'The Year of Magical Thinking' and 'Blue Nights.'
- Didion's writing often explored themes of loss, grief, and the fragility of life, as seen in her famous line: 'Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant.'
- Her psychiatric sessions with Dr. Roger MacKinnon delved into her anxieties, childhood experiences, and the dynamics of her family relationships.
- Didion's reflections on her father's depression and possible suicidal thoughts revealed deep-seated fears and unresolved emotions.
- The sessions also touched on Didion's struggles with memory, aging, and the pressure to maintain control in her life.
- Didion's work and personal life were deeply intertwined, with her writing serving as both a coping mechanism and a means of understanding her experiences.
- The archive and 'Notes to John' offer a poignant look into Didion's inner world and the emotional landscape that shaped her literary legacy.