Portrait of an Addict As a Young Man: A Memoir

After several years representing a growing list of highly acclaimed writers, literary agent Bill Clegg walked away from his world and went on a two-month crack binge. He had been released from rehab nine months earlier, and his relapse would cost him his home, his money, his career, his status, and--very nearly--his life.

What is it that makes an exceptional young mind want to disappear? Clegg makes startlingly clear the powerful attraction of the reality-obliterating drug that had him in its thrall, calling its effect a state where "doom does not eclipse bliss." The terrifying story of Clegg's addiction is intercut with flashbacks to his childhood, when a harrowing physical condition is treated with mockery by one parent and with negligence by the other, shaping the future addict's desire to hide, to be "away."

Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man is an utterly compelling narrative--sometimes lyrical, sometimes gritty, and always disarmingly honest. It shows us how a gifted, charismatic, and successful young professional can too easily end up exposed, de-railed, and alone. We can be grateful that Bill Clegg is now firmly back in the world, offering this terrifying, beautifully written cautionary tale.

Bill Clegg is a literary agent in New York. Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man is his first book.