Elizabeth Wurtzel, Author Of 'Prozac Nation' Dies At 52

Prozac Nation's author Elizabeth Wurtzel passed away on January 7, at the age of 52. The cause of her death was leptomeningeal. She passed away in a hospital in Manhattan in New York City.

Key Takeaways:

• Elizabeth Wurtzel was an American writer, lawyer and journalist. She is best known for her memoir Prozac Nation. Wurtzel published Prozac Nation in 1994 at the age of 27.
• Wurtzel wrote for the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis. She also wrote articles for Elle (2009), New York Magazine (2008, 2013) and The Guardian (2009).
• She graduated from Havard College with a BA in comparative literature. She completed her JD from Yale Law School.
• Wurtzel learned that she had BRCA gene mutation. Her breast cancer had metastasized to her brain. Complications from the leptomeningeal disease have been mentioned as the cause of her death.

Who is Elizabeth Wurtzel?

Elizabeth Wurtzel was an American writer, lawyer and journalist. She is best known for her memoir Prozac Nation. The book was published in 1994 at the age of 27. It describes Wurtzel's struggle with depression and her treatment with medication Prozac. The memoir was The New York Times bestseller. Further, Elizabeth wrote another memoir, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women in 1998. Wurtzel also wrote More, Now, Again in 2001 that included subjects like her Ritalin and her tweezing habit. However, the book received many negative reviews. In January 2015 Wurtzel published Creatocracy: How the Constitution Invented Hollywood

 Wurtzel was an American writer, lawyer and journalist. She is best known for her memoir Prozac Nation. She published Prozac Nation in 1994 at the age of 27.

Elizabeth writing was lively, controversial and feminist. Alyssa Rosenberg says in a column of The Washington Post that everyone who read 'Bitch' either created a twitter account or wrote a blog about what it meant to be women. Elizabeth wrote for the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis. She also wrote articles for Elle (2009), New York Magazine (2008, 2013) and The Guardian (2009). Wurtzel married James Freed Jr in 2015. The couple separated later but remained close after the separation.  In 2001 a movie based on Prozac Nation was released. The movie starred Christina Ricci. Erik Skjoldbjærg directed the movie.

Wurtzel graduated from Havard College with a BA in comparative literature. She completed her JD from Yale Law School. Dallas morning news fired  Elizabeth when she was an intern there after accusations of plagiarism.

Read also: Ten Must-Read Thrillers By Women Authors That Will Blow You Away

Elizabeth's Death

Elizabeth announced that she had breast cancer in 2015. Metaphorically, Wurtzel compared cancer with depression in her book Prozac Nation years before her cancer diagnosis. Wurtzel learned that she had the BRCA gene mutation.  She inherited the gene from her father. Her husband told the Post that Wurtzel's breast cancer had metastasized to her brain. Complications from the leptomeningeal disease have been mentioned as the cause of her death.  Leptomeningeal disease occurs when cancer spreads to cerebrospinal fluid.

Wurtzel wrote another memoir titled Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women in 1998. She also wrote More, Now, Again in 2001 that included subjects like her Ritalin and her tweezing habit.

Elizabeth had once written for the Guardian in which she said, “I hate it when people say that they are sorry about my cancer. Really? Have they met me? I am not someone that you feel sorry for. I am the original mean girl.”

Read also: Gender Neutrality Will Imply Equal Opportunities: Author Sanchita Ganguly

Image credit: The New York Times

Mansi is an Intern at SheThePeople.TV