“I have seen the light. God has manifested himself to me. He has appeared to me. I am delivered.”
Before the great success of the book Winesburg, Ohio, writer Sherwood Anderson was the president of the prestigious Anderson Manufacturing Company in Ohio. In 1912, Anderson literally walked away after lapsing into a "fugue state."
Here are the facts:
In November 27, 1912, Anderson told his secretary, "I have been walking too long on the bed of a river.” Then, according to the Cleveland Leader, “wondering Gypsy-like about the countryside. . .all the while unconscious of his identity.”
Four days later, he was finally found 30 miles away in Cleveland by a pharmacist.
On December 6th, the Elryia Evening Telegram reported that Anderson planned to write a book on his experiences as a ‘Nomad”:
“‘It is dangerous but will be a good story and the money will always be welcome,’ said he.”