biography: Oliver Sacks

I'm writing a brief biographical article about Oliver Sacks for a forthcoming academic encyclopedia. It's a thrill to be delving deep into the life and writings of one of my favorite authors. A few years ago Mike Davis sent one of my essays to his editor, describing my writing style as akin to Oliver Sacks'. I walked on clouds for a few weeks after that.

Below is a list of Sacks' major publications. You probably know him best as Robin Williams' character from the movie "Awakenings" (based on his novel with the same title). I suggest that you explore a few of his books. A Leg to Stand On is my personal favorite. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is probaby his most popular book. It's good reading, too!

Sacks, Oliver. An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. New York: Vintage, 1996.
---. Awakenings. New York: Summit Books, 1987.
---. A Leg to Stand On. New York: HarperPerennial, 1990.
---. Migraine. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
---. Oaxaca Journal. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2002.
---. Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990.
---. The Island of the Colorblind; and, Cycad Island. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.
---. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales. New York: Touchstone, 1998.
---. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001.