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The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly

Jean-Dominique Bauby author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers

Published:13th Apr '23

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in other editions too:

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly cover

The brilliantly fun new lift-the-flap animal board book series with wonderfully colourful illustrations – perfect for young children!

One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written.

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.

One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written.

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.

In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle and the father of two young children, suffered a massive stroke and found himself paralysed and speechless. But his mind remained as active and alert as it had ever been.

Using his only functioning muscle – his left eyelid – he was determined to tell his remarkable story, painstakingly spelling it out letter by letter.

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly records Bauby’s lonely existence but also the ability to invent a life for oneself in the most appalling of circumstances. It one of the most extraordinary books about the triumph of the human spirit ever written.

‘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

ISBN: 9780008610036

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 9mm

Weight: 100g

144 pages

Collins Modern Classics edition