"the diving-bell and the butterfly"

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the story of the struggle of jean-dominique bauby to comprehend and then beat losing the use of his body to a stroke.

I buy anything on sight with an a.l. kennedy jacket quote (john burnside's novels, 'god's gift to women') and have yet to be disappointed.

this is less a memoir, more an essay on the nature of articulacy, the anatomy of movement and the mechanics of writing. a type of lyric essay.

he writes so well: the quality of light - the angles of a door - a sweetness in some visitor's eye - how air holds the smell of a smell - the street coming off itself into the hospital -.

have you read it? what did you think?

I think to this day it is still the only book to make me cry. : /

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I read this!
What blew my mind was how he wrote it one painstaking letter at a time with a board and blinking and an assistant.
I could hardly imagine how he revised. Did he roll it through his mind over and over until he had it in his brain exactly how he wanted before the assistant sat down at his bedside? Or could he bear to wipe out those pages eeked out so slowly...

― Clellie, Wednesday, 17 March 2004 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

This was an astounding book which allowed me to see someone past the disability. No pity, just resounding empathy and respect for someone to forge ahead with a such a project as writing a book. After reading it, I walked around in a daze for a period of time, telling people about this book. Magnificent.

― yesabibliophile (yesabibliophile), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I read it some time ago and although of course I remember the story, I'm reaching a little to remember what I thought other than "wow". I know I recommended it to many. I also remember wandering around trying to notice life in the exquisite detail of the author.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:15 (twenty-two years ago)

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's also... no it isn't actually... I was going to say I think it's also one of the few books that I've purposely bought myself just to give away but that would be a lie.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

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