RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 “As vast as the world”—reflections on <em>A Very Easy Death</em> by Simone de Beauvoir
JF Medical Humanities
JO J Med Humanit
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics
SP 85
OP 90
DO 10.1136/jmh.2004.000163
VO 30
IS 2
A1 F Brennan
YR 2004
UL http://mh.bmj.com/content/30/2/85.abstract
AB 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.