Ein letztes Buch

For about two decades, there has been a noticeable increase in public interest in the topics of dying and death: dying processes are coming more into focus for various research fields, and literature on end-of-life care is booming. There is also a striking rise in literary accounts of dying: more and more writers are penning a final book about their (terminal) illnesses.

"How One Dies Today" gathers excerpts from nine literary death books, primarily published in the 2010s, thoughtfully commented on by the editor Corina Caduff.

During the dying phase, the ailing body demands particular attention. Accordingly, the authors engage with pain, discuss caregiving, and the constantly changing medical measures. In most texts, existential fears of dying and death are addressed, as well as questions about the ambivalence between the desire to live and the acceptance of death. The authors fundamentally grapple with the meaning of life and dying. They offer reflections on life with autobiographical key scenes, striving to extract a narratable coherence from their experiences; they analyze the well-meaning advice from acquaintances and express their concern for the loved ones and friends left behind. Various spiritual orientations are often discussed, intertwined with the radical uncertainty of "where to go."

In fact, autobiographical literature on dying not only portrays individual dying processes but also societal conditions: How does one die when one has hardly confronted death throughout life, because our culture is entirely focused on the here and now? – Thus, the authors explore their dying process within our society and significantly contribute to making discussions about it easier.