Jean-Dominique Bauby
Born: 01-01-1952
Jean-Dominique Bauby was a French journalist and author, best known for his memoir "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Born in 1952, he served as editor-in-chief of the French fashion magazine Elle. In 1995, he suffered a massive stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. Remarkably, he dictated his memoir using blinking, offering a profound insight into his life and condition before passing away in 1997.
Book summaries for books written by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Quotes
As for writing, it's out of the question.
I need to feel strongly, to love and admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe.
The words are like pebbles, and they're falling into the abyss.
It's like being a captain of a ship that's sinking. You feel a sense of impotence, of incomprehension.
I am floating like a butterfly, as aerodynamic as a diving bell.
I need to feel that I'm at home in my own body.
Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Jean-Dominique Bauby.
I can listen to a conversation without wanting to join in.
The mind wanders, words flit around, the confusion is so great that one gives up trying to understand.
Nothing is harder to overcome than the death of a loved one.
My cocoon becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly.
I can't escape the horror of it all.