Overview

The diary of Jean-Dominique Bauby who, with his left eyelid (the only surviving muscle after a massive stroke) dictated a remarkable book about his experiences locked inside his body. A masterpiece and a bestseller in France. On 8 December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke and slipped into a coma. When he regained consciousness three weeks later, the only muscle left functioning was in his left eyelid although his mind remained as active and alert as it had ever been. He spent most of 1996 writing this book, letter by letter, blinking as an alphabet was repeatedly read out to him. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly was published in France on Thursday 6th March 1997. It was immediately hailed as a masterpiece. And then, three days later, he died. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly, which records Bauby’s lonely existence, is probably the most remarkable book about the triumph of the human spirit, the ability to invent a life for oneself in the most appalling of circumstances, that you will ever read

Full Product Details

9780007139842

Table of Contents

Reviews

'The most remarkable memoir of our time.' Cynthia Ozick 'Read this book and fall back in love with life.' Edmund White 'A staggering piece of work. It represents an almost inconceivable act of generosity, the gift of the mind and the spirit for which writing was designed.' A. L. Kennedy 'One of the great books of the century.' Financial Times 'Everyone in the country should own at least one copy.' Guardian 'We listen, because what he has to say goes to the core of what it means to be human.' Robert McCrum, Observer 'The most extraordinary book of the year.' Daily Telegraph 'Life-enhancing and devastating in equal measure -- everyone should read it.' Gloss magazine

'Everyone in the country should own at least one copy.' Guardian 'The most extraordinary book of the year.' Daily Telegraph 'Read this book and fall back in love with life.' Edmund White 'The most remarkable memoir of our time.' Cynthia Ozick 'Life-enhancing and devastating in equal measure -- everyone should read it' Gloss magazine

Author Information

At the age of forty-three, on 8 December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, a well-known Parisian, suffered a massive stroke which rendered his brain stem inactive. When he woke up twenty days later, he found he was mute and almost entirely paralysed; he could only move his head a little, grunt and blink his left eyelid. This rare condition is called locked-in syndrome. Despite his condition, he authored the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2002) by blinking when the correct letter was reached by a person slowly reciting the alphabet over and over again. Bauby died three days after the French publication of his book in 1997.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available