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The release of Ira Sachs' film Keep the Lights On to DVD in Australia is likely to stimulate interest in Bill Clegg's addiction memoir, which was published a few years back in 2010. Bill Clegg was the long-time boyfriend of Ira Sachs and their troubled relationship inspired the story that is told in the film. Bill Clegg was a young, handsome, wealthy literary golden boy who seemingly had it all - a thriving business as a literary agent, a supportive partner, trusting colleagues, and loving friends when he walked away from his world and embarked on a two-month crack binge. He had been released from rehab nine months earlier, and his relapse would cost him his home, his money, his career, and very nearly his life. What is it that leads an exceptional young mind to want to disappear? Clegg makes stunningly clear the attraction of the drug that had him in its thrall, capturing in scene after scene the drama, tension, and paranoiac nightmare of a secret life - and the exhilarating bliss that came again and again until it was eclipsed almost entirely by doom. He also explores the shape of addiction, how its pattern - not its cause - can be traced to the past. Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man is an utterly compelling narrative - lyrical, irresistible, harsh, honest, and beautifully written - from which you simply cannot look away. Also read the powerful sequel to this book, Ninety Days, where he battles to break the hold of the addiction by remaining sober for ninety days straight.
Paperback, 222 Pages, Orig. Publ. 2010, This Ed. Publ. 2011
Author: Bill Clegg