The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End [J0084]

2016 - HCDJ Nice clean condition. In this category-defying book, Katie Roiphe takes an unexpected and liberating approach to the most unavoidable of subjects: death. She examines the final days of five great writers and artists--Susan Sontag, Sigmund Freud, John Updike, Dylan Thomas, and Maurice Sendak.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I can't recommend this book highly enough. Rolphe writes about the deaths of several famous writers, including John Updike, Maurice Sendak and Dylan Thomas. The stories are very comforting and interesting."; "I thought it was going to be writers writing about death but it was actually about how different writers met the end of their life. Some fought, some seemed to help it along, but they all seemed compelled to document it in some way."; "This is a remarkable book written with unexpected poetic nuance. In lesser hands, it could have easily turned into a formulaic cliche, something suited for a med school class. Or just another melancholy discussion of famous people getting their final visit from the Grim Reaper. Instead, the author's insightful and artful observations about death actually turn into a beautiful treatise on life and the inevitable end that awaits us all. I recommend The Violet Hour as much for its provocative subject matter as for its unusual blend of journalism and wonderfully observant writing. Bravo."