In the article 'You'll Never Make Yourself Fall Asleep: On Marie Darrieussecq's 'Sleepless'' by Thom Sliwowski, the author discusses the book 'Sleepless' by Marie Darrieussecq and explores the themes of insomnia, sleeplessness, and their cultural and literary history. The author shares their personal experiences with insomnia and their struggle to fall asleep. The book delves into various aspects of insomnia, including its cultural meanings, relation to pharmaceuticals, artistic representations, sleep science, and anecdotal histories. It also explores insomnia's connection to civilizational disorders, travel, motherhood, and the sleep of other animal species. The book is structured using lists and enumerations, which reflect the iterative temporality of insomnia.
The article discusses the glamor associated with insomnia and the habit of assigning superiority to those who stay awake. It explores the use of rituals and sleeping pills to induce sleep, as well as the dependency of writers on sedatives. The author highlights the magical thinking and the role of talismans in the quest for sleep. The article concludes by discussing the productivity of insomnia and its connection to writing, as well as the relationship between exhaustion and mental toil. The author reflects on their own experience of reading the book while battling insomnia and the book's tranquilizing effect.
Thom Sliwowski, the author of the article, holds a PhD in comparative literature and critical theory and writes about history, time, and the body.[116c1b3b]
