rss
Med Humanities 2004;30:85-90 doi:10.1136/jmh.2004.000163
  • Original article

“As vast as the world”—reflections on A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir

  1. F Brennan
  1. Correspondence to:
 F Brennan
 Calvary Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW 2217, Australia; fpbrennanozemail.com.au
  • Accepted 2 June 2004

Abstract

In 1964, Simone de Beauvoir, arguably one of the greatest writers of 20th century Europe, published an account of the final 6 weeks of her mother’s life. It is a beautifully written, raw, honest, and powerful evocation of that period from the viewpoint of a relative. Its themes are universal—love, ambivalence in family ties, loss, and bereavement. Given that the events preceded the modern palliative care movement, reflections are made on differences in medical practice since the book’s publication.

Footnotes

  • ↵† For a comprehensive list of the reasons why physicians underprescribe analgesics see A M Martino.4

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.