The Savage God (IN: On Suicide: Great Writers on the Ultimate Question, edited by J Miller)

Alvarez discusses the logic of suicide, arguing that suicide is a closed world with its own irresistible logic. Different types of suicides are described, e.g. the perfectionist who cannot tolerate one aspect of himself or the individual for whom suicide is a vocation. In the latter part of the chapter, Alvarez discusses his own suicide attempt & how it changed his life.