The Black Mirror: Fragments of an Obituary for Life - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848871295 ISBN 13: 9781848871298

Publisher: GARDNERS VI BOOKS AMS006, 1702

Synopsis

In this beautifully written personal meditation on life and living, Raymond Tallis reflects on the fundamental fact of existence: that it is finite. Inspired by E. M. Forster's thought that 'Death destroys a man but the idea of it saves him', Tallis invites readers to look back on their lives from a unique standpoint: one's own future corpse. From this perspective, he shows, the world now vacated can be seen most clearly in all its richness and complexity. Blending lyrical reflection, humour and the occasional philosophical argument, Tallis explores his own post-mortem recollection and invites us to appreciate anew the precariousness and preciousness of life.

About this title

About the Author:

Raymond Tallis trained as a doctor before going on to become Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester. He was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences for his research in clinical neuroscience. He retired from medicine in 2006 to become a full-time writer and has written over a dozen books including, most recently, The Kingdom of Infinite Space, Michelangelo's Finger, Aping Mankind and In Defence of Wonder. In 2009, The Economist's Intelligent Life magazine named him as one of the top living polymaths in the world.

Review:

As he sifts a lifetime's worth of sensory and emotional memory, Tallis's prose stuns like poetry... Enchanting * Nature * Tallis is a surprisingly entertaining companion on his imaginary journey into the underworld * Standpoint * Dr Tallis has tried something new, something difficult, and he has brought to a strong intelligence and linguistic facility to bear on the task. * Wall Street Journal * A strange, bold, and courageous book -- John Gray * New Statesman * It's work of philosophy that reads like a work of fiction... There isn't anything I don't love about this book * The Oldie * Tallis writes wonderfully well, and has a relish for words... His style is genuinely entertaining * The Times Higher Education Supplement * Full of striking, thoughtful insight, defamiliarising the everyday things we all take for granted. * New Scientist * Original and enlightening... It is difficult to summarise what makes this book so appealing. It comes down, as all the best writing does, to the sensibility of the author. Tallis's is not only a wide and judicious sensibility but a funny, acute and modest one... Wonderful -- Salley Vickers * Observer * A tremendous, inspiring book... Raymond Tallis is one of the very few contemporary thinkers whom I would unequivocally call a genius -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday * Strikingly original... The Black Mirror succeeds in capturing the smallness and simultaneous vastness of a single life. * Financial Times *

About this edition

• Publisher: GARDNERS VI BOOKS AMS006
• Publication date: 1702
• ISBN 10: 1848871295
• ISBN 13: 9781848871298
• Binding: Paperback