Which writers were brilliant ... and which were insane?

Question

I'm intrigued by writers who were ... odd, or who died tragically. Emily Dickinson, for example, always wore white and rarely left her room; Edgar Allen Poe and F. Scott Fitzgerald were alcoholics; and Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway took their lives.

So I'm wondering: which writers were truly gifted and which were certifiably insane?

Answer 1

I really enjoyed Kay Redfield Jamison's Touched with Fire. She explores the corollary between genius and insanity, and specifically looks at bi-polar disorder. She even compiled a list of writers and artists who were considered "ill." A great read. Here's a brief look at the list:
Blake
Burns
Coleridge
Byron
Shelley

Answer 2

All of the above that you mentioned were gifted. Some walked the tightrope between sanity and insanity, but none were ever permanently committed to a mental institution for insanity. Yes some had bouts with insanity but nothing long term.

Answer 3

Its a fine line that can be crossed several times.

You left the field very wide open but i would say Oscar Wilde was both as was Percy Shelley.

Answer 4

There's a very fine line between brilliance and insanity, and it's almost impossible to tell which is which, and that makes insanity a very frightening thing sometimes.

Answer 5

brilliant writers were boring insane writers were thrilling

Answer 6

I think many were BOTH gifted and insane, which is why they were so great.

Answer 7

me