 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Photos: Etienne George/
Photo: Courtesy of Miramax
Courtesy of Miramax Film
Corp./Pathé Pictures Int.
All rights reserved.
Film Corp./Pathé Pictures Int.
All rights reserved.
 |
| The Diving Bell and the Butterfly #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A wistful, poetic, ironic and whimsically affirmative statement by a man who refused to die in spirit."
|
4 Academy Award Nominations: Directing, Cinematography, Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay
The basis for the French-language film Le Scaphandre et le Papillon from Miramax Films, starring Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Max von Sydow, and directed by Julian Schnabel. Coming November 30, 2007 to limited cities, with a wider release in late December/January.
About the
Book
In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the 43-year-old editor of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke that left him permanently paralyzed, a victim of "locked in syndrome." Once known for his gregariousness and wit, Bauby now finds himself imprisoned in an inert body, able to communicate only by blinking his left eye. The miracle is that in doing so he was able to compose this stunningly eloquent memoir.
In a voice that is by turns wistful and mischievous, angry and sardonic, Bauby gives us a celebration of the liberating power of consciousness: what it is like to spend a day with his children, to imagine lying in bed beside his wife, to conjure up the flavor of delectable meals even as he is fed through at tube. Most of all, this triumphant book lets us witness an indomitable spirit and share in the pure joy of its own survival.
"A book of surpassing beauty, a testament to the freedom and vitality and delight of the human mind." --Oliver Sacks
"One of the great books of the century.... You read it at one go, so gripping is the voyage to the inner heart and mind."
"The sentences soar, unburdened by self-pity or despair, and the progression of short, lyrical chapters begin to resemble the beating of wings."
About the Author Jean-Dominique Bauby was born in France in 1952. He attended school in Paris. After working as a journalist for a number of years, Bauby became the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in Paris in 1991. On December 8, 1995 he had a stroke which left him with the condition known as locked-in syndrome. Bauby died on March 9, 1997, two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He was the father of two children, Theophile and Celeste.
Golden Globe Award Winner: Best Foreign-language Film, Best Director
--Financial Times
--The New Yorker