Matter of Death and Life

'Wise, beautiful, heartbreaking, raw' The Times'A beacon of hope to all of us who will be bereaved' Kathryn Mannix'An unforgettable and achingly beautiful story of enduring love' Lori GottleibInternationally renowned psychiatrist and author Irvin Yalom has devoted his career to counselling those suffering from anxiety and grief. But never had he faced the need to counsel himself until his wife, esteemed feminist author Marilyn Yalom, was diagnosed with cancer. In A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE, Marilyn and Irvin share how they took on profound new struggles: Marilyn to die a good death, Irvin to live on without her.In alternating accounts of their last months together and Irvin's first months alone, they offer us a rare window into coping with death and the loss of one's beloved. The Yaloms had rare blessings - a loving family, a beautiful home, a large circle of friends, avid readers around the world, and a long, fulfilling marriage - but they faced death as we all do. With the candour and wisdom of those who have thought deeply and loved well, they investigate universal questions of intimacy, love, and grief.Informed by two lifetimes of experience, A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE offers poignant insights and solace to all those seeking to fight despair in the face of death, so that they can live meaningfully.

Marilyn and Irvin write so luminously I feel I have lived that period of time alongside them ... I was deeply touched by Irvin's humility in acknowledging that we are simply unprepared for the great encounter with death, or for the loss of a soul-mate, no matter how closely we observe these stories as professionals. This book is illuminating and vivid, a beautiful examination of the consolation of a life well-lived, and a beacon of hope to all of us who will be bereaved. And of course, it is an exposition of how we who are mortal learn to live with that very truth about ourselves, A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE is wise, beautiful, heartbreaking, raw - a paean to enduring love and what it means, For over half a century, the eminent psychiatrist Irvin Yalom has dazzled the world with his stories of the human psyche packed with wisdom, insight, and humor. Now, with stunning candor and courage, he shares with us the most difficult experience of his life: the loss of his wife and steadfast companion since adolescence. Partners to the end, including in the co-writing of this book, they share an indelible portrait of bereavement - the terror, pain, denial, and reluctant acceptance. But what we are left with is much more than a profound story of enduring loss - it's an unforgettable and achingly beautiful story of enduring love. I will be thinking about this for years to come, This beautiful, poignant, and uplifting memoir is a love story, a tale of two incredibly accomplished lives that were lived almost as one, the sum turning out to be so much greater than its parts. It will inspire you and perhaps move you to look differently at your life - it did that for me, The Yaloms are not just honest, but astonishingly generous with their readers. This book takes its immediate place in the canon of great end-of-life memoirs

Irvin Yalom is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford University. He has won two major awards from the American Psychiatric Association and is the bestselling author of Love's Executioner, Momma and the Meaning of Life and The Gift of Therapy. He continues to run his clinical practice and lectures widely.Marilyn Yalom was a historian and author. She was a senior scholar at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, and a professor of French. She served as the institute's director from 1984 to 1985. Her books included A History of the Breast, A History of the Wife, The American Resting Place, and How the French Invented Love. Yalom was decorated by the French government as an Officier des Palmes Academiques in 1991, and she received an Alumnae Achievement Award from Wellesley College in 2013. She died on 20 November 2019 from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow.