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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby (Paperback, 1998)

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Author: Jean-Dominique Bauby. Title: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Format: Paperback. Missing Information?. Country/Region of Manufacture: US. Item Width: 10mm. Item Length: 131mm. Item Height: 203mm.

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A celebration of the liberating power of consciousness-a triumphant book that lets us witness an indomitable spirit and share in the pure joy of its own survival. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an inexhaustible reservoir of sensations, keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Random House USA Inc
ISBN-13
9780375701214
eBay Product ID (ePID)
183072025

Product Key Features

Book Title
The Diving BELL and the Butterfly: a Memoir of Life in Death
Author
Jean-Dominique Bauby
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Publication Year
1998
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Number of Pages
144 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
203mm
Item Width
131mm
Item Weight
136g

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
Jean-Dominique Bauby
Series Title
Vintage International
Country/Region of Manufacture
United States

All listings for this product

item 1 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: ..., Bauby, Jean-Dom
AU $27.81
Free postage
item 2 Jean-Dominique Bauby The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Paperback) (US IMPORT)
AU $35.65
Free postage
item 3 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique B
AU $36.99
Free postage
item 4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death By
AU $82.50
+AU $5.49 postage

4.8

4.8 out of 5 stars based on 17 product ratings

17 product ratings

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5 out of 5 stars
by rebeccwe-926 Jan, 2024
Like nothing else you'll ever read
This an absolutely spellbinding and true story that puts an entirely new perspective on the human need to communicate in any way possible. It's a relatively brief book but like nothing else. I'd read it before and bought this one as a gift for a friend.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by indigo1x4x906 Nov, 2008
A Memoir that Shines with Poetic Beauty
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is Jean-Dominique Bauby's deeply moving memoir that chronicles his life as he regains consciousness after coming out of a coma that was brought on by a massive stroke. Very rare for a man in his prime of life at age 43 and, even more unusual, is his post-stroke physical state which he describes as "locked-in syndrome"; a condition of almost complete paralysis. Save for his ability to move his head slightly to the right and left and the ability to blink his left eye lid, he is completely inert. Bauby had been admitted to Berck-sur-Mer, a Naval hospital north of Paris and it is there that he begins working with phyisical therapists and speech pathologists to sustain what his doctors refer to as a "quality of life." At first, not surprisingly, he is riddeled with negative and self defeating thought but after his first couple of weeks in the hospital pass his inner spirit is reignited and he makes a conscious choice to hold fast to what makes him human. This man who had been the editor of the French "Elle" fashion magazine now has that same passion back in him that got him his stature in the publishing industry. While it is beyond his control to be anything other than slothful in body he does reawaken the fire in his mind and zest for life and he puts it to phenominal use. Through painfully slow and mindnumbing repitition, his speech pathologist at Berck-sur-Mer formulates a communication regimen that invloves her repeating letters of the alphabet in terms of their frequency of use and his blinking at her when she has stated a letter he wants to use which she then records. They form brief sentences just for menial things at first, i.e. is the temperature in his room suitable or does he want his television turned to a different channel, then they form paragraphs and entire conversations. And this communication slowly evolves into the idea of writing (dictating, actually) a book about his experiences; the playboy he once was, the Elle editor, his relations with past lovers, his children, his friends, his life with the incurable locked-in syndrome and most importantly he dictates of his most fond memories and his refusal to let go of his imagination. This memoir has a beauty to it that flows like great poetry. It is very intimate and highly descriptive. There is one instance where he describes the frustration of having a fly land on his nose, the inability to shew it away and the inability to alert anyone else to do it for him. The books title is all poetry as well. His "Diving Bell" symbolizes the claustrophobic feeling of being totally paralyzed (it's an antiquated type of diving suit that leaves the person who has donned it almost without the ability for movement), "the Butterfly" is a metaphor, I think, for hope, imagination and joyful times. Instead of being consumed with suicidal thought, he began focusing only on the things which were still availible to him, his "butterfly." Bauby dedicated his book to his children, Theophile and Celeste and to Claude Mendibil whose painstaking contribution allowed his words and sentances to take shape. He described her as "a hardworking girl from the North of England." Bauby's memoir was published in 1997. Just two days prior to his death. The memoir was put to film in 2007 under the direction of Julian Schnabel. Some chronology was different but much of what's in these pages was used ver batim in the film. David 11-5-2008Read full review
5 out of 5 stars
by stecon_265716 Jun, 2021
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is superb reading.
This should be required read in high school. The most inspirational memoir I've ever read. This was also adapted into an incredible film. Exceptional!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by marz_10117 Sep, 2008
Monumental achievement with lessons for everyone
Icompare this book, in terms of what it took to write it (memorizing entire texts and then blinking the individual letters out, with each letter taking 2 minutes) to great physical achievements (the Tour de France, Navy Seal training, climbing Everest, etc.). What an accomplishment ! The moral courage of this author, and the honesty is searing. One of the things I took away from this book is that no situation is hopeless. Also: moments count. The imagination is key. There were small moments, like the man turning off the soccer game, and Bauby not being able to tell him he wanted to still watch it, which really drove me to tears. These are moments in life that are human moments. One "take-away" (I hate that word because it sounds like management-speak) is that each moment, we can choose to treat others well or poorly. Each moment counts. We can take small "vacations" in our own minds. In one sense, we are all condemned to live in this "diving bell" we call a body. As in Platonic philosophy, our soul (the butterfly) is locked in this shell. It is the ghost in the machine. We all can relate to Bauby because we are all human and have the experience of being locked into our (aging, frail) bodies, to a larger or lesser extent. There are multiple lessons in this book. Another lesson is how short life is. There is a sentence in the book that really drove me to tears because it is so sad, but also tells us so much what life is about and how little time we have. The author was talking about a horse that was being bet on. The line goes like this: "the horse represents all the women we never loved, all the risks we will never take". Wow. That hit me like a two-by-four. I will re-read this book many times. I will take it with me on my journey, in my own "diving bell". Bauby will live on forever.Read full review
5 out of 5 stars
by chrishah-002 Aug, 2019
comfortable light book
good
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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Picture 1 of 2

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby (Paperback, 1998)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

All listings for this product

Ratings and reviews

Most relevant reviews

Like nothing else you'll ever read

A Memoir that Shines with Poetic Beauty

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is superb reading.

Monumental achievement with lessons for everyone

comfortable light book

Best Selling in Books

Save on Books

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