Caroline Knapp (November 8, 1959 – June 3/4, 2002) was an American writer and columnist whose candid best-selling memoir ''Drinking: A Love Story'' recounted her 20-year battle with alcoholism. She was the daughter of noted psychiatrist Peter H. Knapp, who was a researcher of psychosomatic medicine.

Life and career

Knapp grew up in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

and graduated from Brown University. From 1988–95, she was a columnist for the

Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' an ...

, where her column "Out There" often featured the fictional "Alice K." In 1994, those columns were collected in her first book, ''Alice K's Guide to Life: One Woman's Quest for Survival, Sanity, and the Perfect New Shoes''. Knapp won wide acclaim for ''Drinking: A Love Story'' (1996), which described her life as a "high-functioning alcoholic" and remained on ''

The New York Times Best Seller List ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

'' for several weeks. She followed ''Drinking'' with ''Pack of Two'', also a best-seller, which recounted her relationship with her dog Lucille and humans' relationships with dogs in general. In May 2002, she married her longtime friend and companion, photographer Mark Morelli.

Death

Knapp died in Cambridge of lung cancer on June 3, 2002. Two books of hers were published after her death: ''Appetites: Why Women Want'', which described Knapp's experience with

anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

and other women's struggles with addictions, and ''The Merry Recluse'', a collection of essays.

Bibliography

*''Alice K's Guide to Life: One Woman's Quest for Survival, Sanity, and the Perfect New Shoes'' (1994) *''Drinking: A Love Story'' (1996) *''Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs'' (1998) *''Appetites: Why Women Want'' (published posthumously, 2003) *''The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays'' (published posthumously, 2004)

References

External links

Providence Phoenix obituary, June 6, 2002
* ttps://www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/05/reviews/980705.05cheevet.html Review of ''Pack of Two''by

Susan Cheever Susan Cheever (born July 31, 1943) is an American author and a prize-winning best-selling writer well known for her memoir, her writing about alcoholism, and her intimate understanding of American history. She is a recipient of the PEN New Englan ...

, ''The New York Times'', July 5, 1998
Column 'The Merry Recluse'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Caroline 1959 births 2002 deaths American essayists 20th-century American memoirists American self-help writers Brown University alumni Writers from Cambridge, Massachusetts Deaths from lung cancer in Massachusetts Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery American columnists American women memoirists American women essayists American women columnists 20th-century essayists 20th-century American women 20th-century American people