Erikson, Malazan & link to depression

[Judderman]

Reading Toll The Hounds, Malazan book 7, I was wondering has Steven Erikson himself had battles with depression. He is a superb and imaginative author, but so many of the characters, and even entire races are focussed on depressed and/or morbid thoughts. Thoughts of futility. So much so that perhaps some of it reflects the author’s thoughts or experiences. More likely he just wants to emphasize the difficulty of the Malazan world but it has me wondering.

That said he does inject some silly humour to jolly us up again every now and then, which occasionally cracks me up.

 

[bradleyibanez66]

He has a knack for getting to the core of human nature. A reason why I enjoy his books so much, though they are new to me, and I have only made it through the first two of Malazan. I enjoy authors who don't sugarcoat the reality of basic human nature. Throughout history humans have proven they can be savage, and Erikson's expression of this is spot on. As for depression, I do not know. But, I often think, there are few who can express something so thoroughly who have not experienced it, or at least immersed themself into it deeply.
Great post! Thank you.