A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995 Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle the father of two young children a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit his style and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned allowing him to see and by blinking it to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly over and over again. In the same way he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful mischievous angry and witty Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy and deep sadness of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father s voice on the phone. In magical sequences he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an inexhaustible reservoir of sensations keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life.