The Diving Bell And The Butterfly: A Memoir Of Life In Death

In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the forty-three-year-old editor of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke that left him completely and permanently paralyzed, a victim of "locked-in syndrome." Bauby now found himself imprisoned in an inert body, able to communicate only by blinking his left eye. Bauby composed this eloquent memoir, published two days before his death in 1996 and becoming a bestseller across Europe.

The book celebrates the liberating power of consciousness, recounting Bauby's experiences with wit and resilience, sharing insights into his daily life, relationships, and imagination while confined to a body that could only move his eyelid.