Library / Living With Mental Illness
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The Red Flower
What if the thing everyone called 'a delusion' felt, from inside, like the bravest thing you ever did? Garshin wrote that in 1883. 🌺
Who it's for
Garshin, who was himself hospitalised more than once, tells the story almost entirely from the patient's side.
Feelings it meets
What it is
The Red Flower is an 1883 short story by Vsevolod Garshin, dedicated to the memory of Ivan Turgenev and regarded as his best-known story. A severely agitated man is admitted to a psychiatric asylum and, after a distressing intake, becomes convinced that the red poppies in the hospital garden embody the world's evil, which he alone must destroy.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1883 original and older translations); an older English translation is free online (e.g., americanliterature.com). Also in anthologies of Russian short fiction and Garshin sto.
Before you start
Heads up: Psychiatric restraint and a patient's death.
Age: Ages 16+
Much of your pain is self-chosen.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Pain”
