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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 the author
RAYMOND TALLIS was Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester until 2006. A poet, novelist and philosopher, he was listed by the Independent in 2007 as one of fifty 'Brains of Britain'. In 2005 Prospect magazine named him one of Britain's top 100 Public Intellectuals. Tallis was also elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences for his research in clinical neuroscience, and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Manchester and Hull for his work in philosophy. The Raymond Tallis Reader was published in 2000 by Palgrave Macmillan and his most recent work, Hippocratic Oaths, was published in 2004 by Atlantic Books.
Summary
The Black Mirror is a deeply moving and startlingly original celebration of everyday life, by one of our leading thinkers and writers, who has been described as 'One of Britain's greatest intellectual all-rounders... Someone who comes closer than most ever will to knowing everything' (Independent)
Foreword
The Black Mirror is a deeply moving and startlingly original celebration of everyday life, by one of our leading thinkers and writers, who has been described as 'One of Britain's greatest intellectual all-rounders... Someone who comes closer than most ever will to knowing everything' (Independent)
Report
Strikingly original... The Black Mirror succeeds in capturing the smallness and simultaneous vastness of a single life. Financial Times
