8 Famous Artists Who Tried To Destroy Their Own Art

by Brian Wilson

1. Virgil

Virgil - celebrated as one of the ancient world's most influential writers - is responsible for the epic Aeneid, a Latin poem that depicts the legendary struggles of Aeneas and a great war in Italy.

When we think of Virgil and his contemporaries €“ held high as the fathers of epic poetry €“ it's difficult to comprehend the concept of dissatisfaction and worry. Yet that's exactly what Virgil experienced.

So disappointed was he with the Aeneid that he requested it be destroyed, ridding the world of his writing forever. These days, it's impossible to conceive of a literary sphere in which the Aeneid never existed, but that's precisely what Virgil wanted.

Luckily for poetry fans (and popular culture at large) when Virgil died the executors of his estate decided not to comply with his final wishes, saving one of humanity's literary cornerstones.
Contributor
Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.