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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2021; 79(03): 251-253
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X-ANP-2020-0282
HISTORICAL NOTES

Post-stroke aphasia in famous writers: when Neurology left geniuses speechless

Afasia pós-AVC em escritores famosos: quando a Neurologia deixou gênios sem palavras
Bruno Kusznir VITTURI 
1   Santa Casa de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Rubens José GAGLIARDI 
1   Santa Casa de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
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ABSTRACT

Aphasia is a frequent and devastating stroke complication that does not spare even great writers. In these cases, not only one of the highest cognitive functions is suddenly lost but also the act of bringing beauty into the world. Herein, we discuss the case of three writers who had to abandon their art compulsorily due to a cerebrovascular disease: Charles Baudelaire, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Stendhal. They were magnificent writers, united by excellence in literature and an inevitable destiny that restricted their art to just a few words. They are also examples of the proximity of Neurology to Art, History, and Literature.

RESUMO

A afasia é uma complicação frequente e devastadora do acidente vascular cerebral (AVC), que não poupa nem mesmo os grandes escritores. Nesses casos, de repente, perde-se não apenas uma das funções cognitivas mais importantes, mas o ato de colocar a beleza no mundo. Discutimos o caso de três escritores que precisaram abandonar sua arte compulsoriamente devido a uma doença cerebrovascular: Charles Baudelaire, Ralph Waldo Emerson e Stendhal. Todos eles foram escritores magníficos, unidos pela excelência em literatura e por um destino inevitável que restringia sua arte a apenas algumas palavras. Eles também são exemplos da proximidade da Neurologia com a Arte, a História e a Literatura.

Keywords:

Neurology - Stroke - Aphasia - Art

Palavras-chave:

Neurologia - Acidente Vascular Cerebral - Afasia - Arte

Authors’ contributions:

BKV: manuscript design, data collection, conceptualization, writing. RJG: manuscript supervision, inspiration, coordination, critical review.




Publication History

Received: 22 June 2020

Accepted: 26 July 2020

Article published online:
07 June 2023

© 2021. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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