"My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court."
What were your overall thoughts and impressions of the book? Was it what you expected, or different? If different, in what ways? Or if the same, what exactly was it that you were expecting?
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I found it fascinating. Some horribly devastating, life-changing (life-ending, in most ways) thing happens to you and you find the will to write a book using eye blinks? That's stunning.
ReplyDeleteThe human will to cling to life and the need for self-expression despite the circumstances are utterly amazing.
He died just days after it was published, too.
Absolutely amazing. The perseverance it would take to write a book using eye blinks is mind-boggling.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard the premise, I wondered if it would be a bit sappy, full of lofty musings on the nature of the universe and God and the lack of justice in life. But in fact it was full of sad, touching, sometimes funny insights on the life he had lost and new the existence he was learning. And his writing was quite lyrical and beautiful.
Yes, I felt the same way too. I guess if you have hours to meditate on what you're about to write, the writing will be beautiful, won't it? What struck me was how "economically," so to speak, each word was used. It's really like he doesn't want to waste a syllable.
ReplyDeleteShanxi, what an intriguing point: "I guess if you have hours to meditate on what you're about to write, the writing will be beautiful, won't it?" Yes, maybe so, if the reason you have a lot of time to meditate is because you are utterly paralyzed, experiencing a rare and unimaginable state of existence. He was an editor, a word-person, but I'm guessing that anyone in that condition would have something beautiful (at least essential) to say. Maybe it goes to the economy of speech you mentioned. If you have to use eye-blinks to communicate, you are probably not going to expend them on dull or vapid small talk.
ReplyDeleteWell said, kc and Erin! Especially for the person trying to interpret the eye-blinks, too - I wonder how challenging that must have been. Remember when he was trying to ask for his glasses (lunettes) and the person thought he was talking about the moon (lune)? That made me laugh.
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