Diving-Bell And The Butterfly, The (Stranger Than. . . )

Description: One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written.One of the ten books - novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography - that make up our Matchbook Classics' series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.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.

Review: `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


Author Biography: Jean-Dominique Bauby was born in Paris in 1952. He was the editor-in-chief of French `Elle'. In 1996 he set up ALIS (Association du Locked-In Syndrome). He died on 9 March 1997.