Elizabeth Wurtzel

From ArticleWorld

Elizabeth Wurtzel is an American writer whose works have dealt with subject matters that include depression, drug abuse and feminism.

Upbringing and Education

A native of New York City, Wurtzel was born in 1967. She was raised Jewish and attended Ramaz in high school before continuing her education at Harvard University. At Harvard, she worked for the school’s student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, and won the 1986 Rolling Stone College Journalism Award. Wurtzel was enrolled at the Yale Law School through at least 2005.

Writing Career

Wurtzel first became known widely for her memoir, Prozac Nation. Prozac Nation chronicles Wurtzel’s battle with depression during her college years. The book, which Wurtzel wrote when she was 26 years old, was adapted to film in 2001, with Christina Ricci playing the lead role.

Wurtzel followed Prozac Nation with her second book, Bitch. She said it was published because she wanted to add life to feminist writing, which she believed had become dry. The book focused on emphasizing the positive aspects of “bad girls.”

She completed a third book (More, Now and Again: A Memoir of Addiction) in 2001. It dealt with drug addiction, which was an issue she personally fought, as Wurtzel battled heroin, cocaine and Ritalin abuse earlier in her life.

Along with her experience in book writing, Wurtzel’s credentials also include articles written for The New Yorker and New York Magazine.