It’s national vodka day, and while it’s not my drink of choice, it got me wondering why is there a day devoted to a tasteless, colourless drink? Why particularly vodka? Like many drinks, it does have an interesting history. With an apparently long-standing battle as to its true heritage. It seems that some clever clogs found a way to make happy juice out of virtually anything and then as chance would have it, the product had to migrate. Following it’s enforced journey into another dimension, some other cleverer clogs standardised the production process. Add in some smart marketing and hey presto.
It’s not that it is unusual to fete alcohol. Beaujolais Nouveau Day is celebrated in France with parties to commemorate the first wine of the season. Its popularity, I am sure, is due to the marketing genius behind it. Not having ever drunk Beaujolais, I cannot comment on its palatability, and I’m also not sure I would want to.
Are the vodka bods hoping for the same level of celebration as the French wine day? I hope not. Call me a spoilsport, but I cannot think of one good reason why there should be days where getting off your face is a cause to rejoice.
No matter, we have national vodka day – a day to drink and celebrate vodka.
I won’t be partaking; rather this curiosity got me thinking about (for some reason) writing, writers and drinking. I wondered which famous writers were partial to a tipple to help them with their art. Or how stories about drinking impacted how we viewed the drinker and their personal journey. Or how alcohol supports or not the ability to write.
There is both a shadow and light side to drinking. I have come to change how I view it. I like a drink – a decent wine to sip, rather than a bottle of JD to swig and party with. This change has come with age and wisdom. I cannot condone anyone’s drinking habits having been a bit of a party animal. Rather I have come to understand more about the shadow side and the process of addiction. For those who have found themselves looking at the bottom of a bottle as a way to hide from life and who have subsequently found themselves, I applaud you.
Dealing with alcohol is a tough battle. So why are drinkers celebrated?
Why do stories about writers and drinking abound? When I read the stories, I feel sad. Sad that this became the only way that some could deal with life. Yes, alcoholism is close to home, my dad was an alcoholic, and this beautiful person wrecked his and others lives for his folly. A folly that none of us could get to the heart of. None the less I loved my dad fiercely. He died from the effects of drinking mostly vodka. It became his drink of choice. Easy to hide and cheap.
What about writers and drinking?
It has long been alleged that writers like to drink. It’s almost as if the stories are there to demonstrate that there cannot be any creative inspiration unless the writer is holding a cigarette in one hand, the other on the typewriter and a bottle of something adoring their desk. For example, Truman Capote most famous for penning Breakfast at Tiffany’s is said to have loved a bit more than a tipple. Describing his writing process as “As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to mint tea to sherry to martinis” which gives you an idea of what his writing day might have consisted of. I read that his favourite drink was vodka and orange. Though one could be forgiven for thinking, any alcoholic drink might do.
What about writer Stephen King, a self-confessed former alcoholic? I have no idea of his writing process, if alcohol inspired his creativity or if his writing suffered? Only he can tell you that. He wrote some great books while drinking. Who doesn’t love Carrie or The Shining?
Hemmingway is also quoted as saying ‘write drunk, edit sober’ I think if I took this advice, I might end up with more in the bin than in a book or I’d fall asleep before I could pen my brilliant ideas.
I went through a phase of devouring Marian Keyes books, and when I read Rachel’s Holiday, it felt as if it was written by someone who understood and had possibly lived through addiction. The book is more about drugs rather than alcohol, but none the less I wondered if Keyes had taken inspiration from another time of her life. Keyes is reported to have been an alcoholic in her 20’s.
The only thing that strikes me is that writing is like purging your soul. Very possibly some of our literary greats lived with some dark shadows that could only be purged through putting pen to paper. That through this penning demons arose which could only be tamed with a glass of something to dull the pain. The alternative is that alcohol removes fear, inhibition, and judgement. There is certainly an argument that one or two glasses of something can spark your creativity.
I remember years ago when I was writing the dissertation for my MBA. One glass of wine was pleasant and certainly did help the writing process. More than that all I wanted to do was either sleep or find other people to come and play. Writing was the last thing on my mind when I got to glass two.
Just two weeks ago, I have to admit to a wine fuelled (2 glasses of wine) conversation with my mum about ideas for a novel. She a teetotaller, giggled as I recounted how my story would unfold. In my unexpected novel outline, drinking certainly removed my inhibitions, fear, and judgement. We both became incredibly child like and spouted (between the raucous laughter) from a space where there were no boundaries, just pure creativity.
But finding ideas socially over a few glasses of wine is one thing, I still could not imagine drinking to excess and being able to write coherently. I even opened a bottle of cider and drank a glass to see if it would help me to write. It didn’t. Instead, I found myself wanting to write as I usually do, first thing in the morning, fresh from a good nights sleep.
The stories and legends of writers and drinking will continue to entertain us for many more years I am sure. As will memoir and fiction which uses it to highlight the fragility of human life.
Drinking and fiction
Alcohol makes a great backdrop for a novel. In our creative writing class, one of my fellow writers read a passage, which was an early morning interaction between husband and wife. He stands leaning on the fridge bathed in frustration at being unable to communicate with a wife whose face was already red from her vodka infused breakfast tea. Stories like this are immensely powerful, as, like me, there are many who can connect to these stories. This is because we have lived with people who have lost themselves and their demons in a glass or ten. It is certainly true that real life is a rich source of inspiration for creative writing.
Alcohol and memoir
Drinking is also a rich source of inspiration for many a former drinker who have as a tale or two to tell. Brenda Wilhelmson writes about her journey from alcoholic to in recovery in Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife. Another female tale of a drink-fuelled life is recounted in Rosie Boycotts A nice girl like me. The blurb on her book says ‘Drinking seemed to defeat the demons in her psyche – until it became clear that drinking was her biggest demon of all. How had a nice country girl turned into a drunk?’ How indeed? Easily, given the ease of access to the devil’s brew and a strong desire to find sanctuary from real life by creating a hazy blur in which to hide.
In reality, I imagine, most successful writers do not drink and write. Like any job the healthier, you are the better equipped you will be to carry out that job.
Resources
http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/books/drinking-habits-of-famous-authors
http://www.nationalvodkaday.com/
