No artist has been more ruthlessly driven by his creative urge, nor more isolated by it from most ordinary sources of human happiness, than Vincent Van Gogh. A painter of genius, his life was an incessant struggle against poverty, discouragement, madness and despair. Lust for Life skilfully captures the exciting atmosphere of the Paris of the Post-Impressionists and reconstructs with great insight the development of Van Gogh's art. The painter is brought to life not only as an artist but as a personality and this account of his violent, vivid and tormented life is a novel of rare compassion and vitality.

著者以弗罗洛伊德所创立的精神分析法为特独视角，以凡-高遗留给世人的数百封书信和数百幅画作为“自由联想”的素材，同时运用了大量的背景资料，对凡-高的一生展开追踪。从他幼年的遭遇、宗教的信仰、职业的挫折、爱情的失败、对父母的叛逆、和弟弟的复杂情感、以及与同时代画家的关系等诸方面的因素来解译这位画坛旷世奇才的内心世界，对他的怪诞、疯癫，对他的割耳、自杀，对他绚烂眩晕的绘画风格作出较合理的解释。可以说该书是将精神分析法应用于解译弃世伟人心灵人格的一个实例，既有较高的学术价值，又读来饶有趣味。纵观国内已出版的诸多有关凡-高的译着和论著，该书的特独性和不可替代性是显而易见的，相信于国内的学术界是一补白。