TY - JOUR 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 SP - 85 LP - 90 DO - 10.1136/jmh.2004.000163 VL - 30 IS - 2 AU - F Brennan Y1 - 2004/12/01 UR - http://mh.bmj.com/content/30/2/85.abstract N2 - 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. ER -