Are madness and creativity related? Two literary scholars and a psychologist bring a blend of professional skills to bear on this question, first reviewing the contemporary scientific evidence and then examining the lives and works of ten authors, dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, who demonstrably suffered from a psychotic illness. For its material the book draws extensively on the subjects' own written words to illustrate the intimate connection that existed between the authors' creative expression and what they felt and perceived as psychotic persons.