The Diving Bell and the ButterflyJean Dominique BaubyLet your imagination set you free.
In 1997, french journalist Jean Dominique Bauby authored Le scaphandre et le papillon of which the english translation is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Jean Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of "Elle" magazine but on December 8 in 1995, he lapsed into a 20 day coma after suffering a stroke which left him totally paralyzed except for some movement in his head and eyes. This condition is known as locked-in syndrome. By using one blinking eye (the other needed to be sewn shut) to count out the letters of the alphabet, for several hours a day over the next ten months a transcriber was able to sit with and record Jean Dominique Bauby's everyday life so that others can know what life is like for a person suffering with locked-in syndrome. Like being bathed, meeting guests even memories of life with his family. Sadly, Jean Dominique Bauby passed away from pneumonia two days after the books release. It received excellent reviews and sold 150,000 copies in the first week before going on to become a number one best seller across Europe. The book was also released as a film in 2007 under the same title. In 2008, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards in the categories of directing, cinematography, editing and writing. It won many other global awards that year. (you can also copy and paste the above titles into the amazon box below for an exact search) |
