With the announcement that Joan Didion’s deeply private therapy notes are being released, Helen Coffey questions the ethics of putting out artists’ work posthumously when it was never intended for a public audience
The article discusses the ethics of publishing private, unpublished works of artists after their death, particularly focusing on Joan Didion's deeply personal therapy notes set to be released in April 2025. These notes, addressed to her late husband and detailing her struggles with mental health and family dynamics, were not intended for public consumption. The author questions the appropriateness of exposing such intimate, private content to the public, highlighting the lack of control the deceased artist has over their personal work.
