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A Memoir of Life in Death
by Jean-Dominique BaubyBauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned. 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.
In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle,
the father of two young children, 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.
Prologue
Through the frayed curtain at my window, a wan glow announces the break of day. My heels
hurt, my head weighs a ton, and something like a giant invisible cocoon holds my whole
body prisoner. My room emerges slowly from the gloom. I linger over every item: photos of
loved ones, my children's drawings, posters, the little tin cyclist sent by a friend the
day before the Paris-Roubaix bike race, and the IV pole hanging over the bed where I have
been confined these past six months, like a hermit crab dug into his rock.
No need to wonder very long where I am, or to recall that the life I once knew was snuffed
out Friday, the eighth of December, last year.
Up until then I had never even heard of the brain stem. I've since learned that it is an
essential component of our internal computer, the inseparable link between the brain and
the spinal cord. That day I was brutally introduced to this ...
Andrew Weil
As riveting as a narrative from an explorer of deep space, this communication from a
mind imprisoned in an unresponsive body is remarkable for its utter lack of self-pity or
sentimentality. Though 'locked in' the author's consciousness freely roams through worlds
of memory, fantasy, sense, impression, and contemplation of the human condition. An
unforgettable read. Andrew Weil
As riveting as a narrative from an explorer of deep space, this communication from a
mind imprisoned in an unresponsive body is remarkable for its utter lack of self-pity or
sentimentality. Though 'locked in' the author's consciousness freely roams through worlds
of memory, fantasy, sense, impression, and contemplation of the human condition. An
unforgettable read. Edmund White
Was it Hemingway who defined grace under pressure? No matter who said it, the
words have never been more pertinent than in speaking of this heroic book, dictated
against the worst imaginable adversities. Although every word cost the author a superhuman
effort, the prose is not sickbed telegraphese but rather as light as the sprightliest
humor, as pungent as the taste of cooking apricots, as vigorous as the step of a young man
setting out on a first date. Read this book and fall back in love with life. Edmund White
Was it Hemingway who defined grace under pressure? No matter who said it, the
words have never been more pertinent than in speaking of this heroic book, dictated
against the worst imaginable adversities. Although every word cost the author a superhuman
effort, the prose is not sickbed telegraphese but rather as light as the sprightliest
humor, as pungent as the taste of cooking apricots, as vigorous as the step of a young man
setting out on a first date. Read this book and fall back in love with life. Elie Wiesel
This heartbreaking story by a uniquely gifted writer is about transforming pain into
creativity, human despair into literary miracle. Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D.
To read this most extraordinary of narratives is to discover the luminosity within a
courageous man's mind. Locked into his own world but not locked out of ours, [Jean-Dominique
Bauby] explores images, memories and an entire landscape of fantasy and love. His
incomparable final gift to us is a heartbreaking and yet glorious testament to the
wrenching beauty of the human spirit. Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D.
To read this most extraordinary of narratives is to discover the luminosity within a
courageous man's mind. Locked into his own world but not locked out of ours, [Jean-Dominique
Bauby] explores images, memories and an entire landscape of fantasy and love. His
incomparable final gift to us is a heartbreaking and yet glorious testament to the
wrenching beauty of the human spirit.
If you liked The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, try these:
by Carol Smith
Published 2022
A powerful exploration of grief following the death of the author's son that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal.
by Ruth Fitzmaurice
Published 2019
A transformative, euphoric memoir about finding solace in the unexpected for readers of H is for Hawk and When Breath Becomes Air.
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A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say
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