Richard Selzer

This biography of Selzer was prepared in anticipation of a talk he gave called “Writing and Healing.” You'll also find a photo and some links on this page.

Here's a page from the Michigan State University Press that contains a brief biography and some information about the books Rituals of Surgery, Raising the Dead, and Confessions of a Knife.

This interview with Selzer, in which he discusses his roles as both an M.D. and a writer, contains a good deal of biographical information.

Interested in writing about surgery, but not sure how to narrow your topic? This directory on the topic from Google.com should help you focus your thoughts.

To see how Selzer's work has intersected with the other arts, click over to this page about a chamber opera called The Black Swan, which was inspired, in part, by Selzer's writing.

Here is a review of Selzer's book, The Doctor Stories. What kinds of things did you learn about the book from the review? What kinds of things would you have to consult the book directly to find out?

This page has another critical approach to The Doctor Stories. How is it similar to the one above? What are the major differences?

Ready for some of Selzer's work in etext? Good! Here are some excerpts from his book Letters to a Young Doctor.

Here is a passage about diagnosis and procedure from Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery at the WREN Foundation's site.

Looking for a quotation to use in a paper? Click here to read a quote about surgery by Selzer from Simpson's Contemporary Quotations.