According to many researchs most poets die young. Maybe I should never choose this career. Here's another article I've just read:
Thanks Bong Thea for giving me the link.
Dr Kaufman, an assistant professor of psychology at California State University, studied the deaths of 1987 writers from across the world and through the centuries.The complete article is here: Write fast, die young
"On average, poets lived 62 years, playwrights 63 years, novelists 66 years, and non-fiction writers lived 68 years," Dr Kaufman said in his report.
"Among American, Chinese and Turkish writers, poets died significantly younger than non-fiction writers... among the entire sample, poets died younger than both fiction writers and non-fiction writers."
And it's worse for female poets, according to Dr Kaufman. "Female poets were much more likely to suffer from mental illness (for example, be hospitalised, commit suicide, attempt suicide) than any other kind of writer, and more likely than other eminent women," he told Reuters. "I've dubbed this the 'Sylvia Plath effect'."
Thanks Bong Thea for giving me the link.
Ha-ha Ah Oun,
ya'd better stop composing poet.lolz
Hi,
I read the article, but I think the article is vague.
It says:"studied the deaths of 1987 writers from across the world and through the centuries." and "On average, poets lived 62 years", but doesn't mention how's many of those were poets. What's kind of poets were chosen? How the samples were chosen? And especially, it doesn't mention the cause of their dead.
So it's possible that some of the samples were died in a car crash or other physical illness. And if a few died at a very young ages, then It would affect the overall average.
And if we look at this sentence: "And is the phrase "live fast, die young" more applicable to sensitive young souls describing their torment in verse than to James Dean-style tearaways?". It occurred to me that these sensitive young souls weren't having a pleasant life at all , so I think the "die young" part might come from the torment more than "describing their torment in verse".
I believe that even if you're poet, you can still have a healthy life both phically and mentally.
That said about living a happy life. To live life to the full one has to use all his/her potential capacity.
Since you are happy to do, why do you have to stop? It is where you can explore your own world best. It is where you can realize about life and society.
Yes i do agree with Tharum that if you like to do sth and find that you r happy in doing so why you stop doing because you afraid of dying fast. If we look at life, we can die at anytime. V dont know when v die, young or old die everyday. so why we afraid? Do what you like and share it to others if you are talent in writing. Dont hide it ! We like to read what you write.
I think the idea of dying young because of being a poet is rather out of date. If you like writing poetry, why prevent yourself from doing so?