Final Thoughts: The Best Books About Death
Since the beginning of mankind, man has wondered what is the purpose of his life and the purpose of his death, but, although thousands of investigations have been made in this regard, not even the best scientists have managed to obtain a satisfactory answer to these questions that, for lack of other means, become rhetorical, philosophical and metaphysical.
However, this does not mean that there is no record of essays, studies, treatises and other texts that try to give some sense to the ultimate purpose of death and why human beings must die. In addition, of course, to calm the waters of those who are anxious and fear this natural process. In this article We will discuss the best books on death.
8 best books to understand death
1. The Tibetan Book of the Dead (VIII-XIV)
Release by hearing during the intermediate state o Book of Intermediate States —erroneously known in the West as The Tibetan Book of the Dead— It is one of the most sacred texts of Tibet.. It is an instruction manual created so that the dying and the deceased can achieve enlightenment during the immediate period after death. death, in order to prevent rebirth.
For Tibetans, reincarnation is a fact. Therefore, according to their beliefs, It is essential that those who are about to move on to the next plan —or they did it recently— know what they should do to avoid ending up back in the samsara. In this way, the book provides some recommendations to take into account during the bard or "intermediate period."
Quotes from The Tibetan Book of the Dead
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“The moments of our life are not dispensable, and the [possible] circumstances of death are beyond imagination. If you do not now achieve unshakable and confident assurance, what is the point of your being alive, O living creature?”
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«Death shows us an all-seeing mirror, 'the mirror of past actions', in which the consequences of all our negative and positive actions are clearly seen and our past actions are weighed in the light of their consequences, the balance of which will determine the type of existence or state of mind we are forced to enter into.»
2. The prospect of immortality (2025), by Robert C.W. Ettinger
The work explores the possibility of preserving the human body at low temperatures in the hope of reviving it in the future, when medical technology has advanced enough to cure currently incurable diseases and reverse aging. This book laid the groundwork for the cryonics movement, proposing that clinical death does not necessarily imply the end of life. if appropriate preservation techniques are applied.
Quote by Robert C.W. Ettinger
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"Most of us living today have a chance at personal, physical immortality."
3. the death intermitence (2005), by José Saramago
It's a novel which addresses with philosophical irony the impact of an impossible event: death stops acting in a country without a nameSince January 1, no one has died. What at first seems like a blessing soon turns into chaos. Families are stuck with terminally ill patients, funeral homes and insurance companies are in crisis, and the government is desperately looking for solutions.
When Death finally returns, she does so in an unexpected way: she now sends purple letters announcing in advance to each person that their time has come. But everything changes when one of her letters is returned unopened. Intrigued, Death takes human form and faces a dilemma: what does it mean to be immortal for someone who has never lived?
Quotes by Jose Saramago
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"I have learned not to try to convince anyone. The work of convincing is disrespectful, it is an attempt to colonize the other."
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"Defeat has one positive aspect: it is never definitive. Victory, on the other hand, has one negative aspect: it is never definitive."
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"I am the grandson of a man who, upon sensing death […] went down to the orchard and said goodbye to the trees he had planted and cared for, crying and hugging each one of them, as if they were a loved one."
4. Paula (1994), by Isabel Allende
This is an emotional and heartbreaking autobiographical work written as a letter to his daughter, Paula Frías, who fell into a coma due to a rare disease, porphyria, in 1991. While accompanying her in a hospital in Madrid, Allende reconstructs her family history, her childhood in Chile, her exile after the military coup in 1973 and her path as a writer.
Through memories, anecdotes and reflections, The author intertwines past and present in an intimate and deeply moving narrative.What begins as an attempt to explain his story to Paula transforms into a meditation on life, loss and resilience.
Quotes by Isabel Allende
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«Maybe we are in this world to search for love, to find it and to lose it, over and over again. With each love, we are born again, and with each love that ends, we pick up a new wound. I am covered with proud scars.»
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«Just as when we come into the world, when we die we are afraid of the unknown. But fear is something internal that has nothing to do with reality. Dying is like being born: just a change.»
5. The year of magical thinking (2005), by Joan Didion
Continuing with the list we have another moving novel, in which the author narrates the mourning after the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, at the end of 2003. Over the course of a year, Didion reflects on loss, the fragility of life and the psychological mechanisms of grief, while facing the serious illness of her daughter, Quintana Roo.
With precise and heartbreaking prose, the writer explores how the mind seeks to cling to hope and the past in moments of extreme pain, turning memory into a refuge and a trap. This book, winner of the National Book Award, It is an intimate and cosmopolitan testimony about love, absence and the strength needed to face pain..
Joan Didion Quotes
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"In times of change, the learned will inherit the earth, while the wise will be left speechless."
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"Life is a series of fleeting snapshots; our task is to capture them before they disappear."
6. A shame on observation (1961), by C.S. Lewis
Once again, we have before us a personal testimony about grief. This time, is the text written by CS Lewis after the death of his wife, Joy Gresham, due to cancerIn this work, the author crudely and honestly exposes the pain, confusion and crisis of faith in God that he experiences while facing the absence of his partner.
Through reflections, Lewis questions the meaning of suffering, the nature of love, and God's apparent indifference to loss.The book offers a fascinating look at the grieving process, becoming a consolation for those who have faced the loss of a loved one.
Quotes by CS Lewis
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"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."
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"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of any solid and lasting happiness in our lives."
7. The invention of loneliness (2010), by Paul Auster
This is an autobiographical work in which he examines the father figure and loneliness through two interconnected essays. In the first part, Portrait of an invisible man, The author reflects on the death of his father, a distant and enigmatic subject, whose emotional emptiness leads him to question the nature of family ties and memory.
In the second part, The memory book, Auster delves into his own experience as a father and writer, interweaving memories, philosophical reflections and literary references to investigate the meaning of identity and existence.
Paul Auster Quotes
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"Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever."
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"When a man finds life tolerable only on the surface of himself, it is natural that he should be satisfied by obtaining the same surface from others."
8. Deadly and pink (2003), by Francisco Umbral
In his book, the author expresses his deep pain after the death of his son. With poetic and heartbreaking prose, Threshold transforms grief into a meditation on childhood, love, the fleetingness of life and the power of memory.
Using fragmentary reflections, dreamlike images and a lyrical style, the text becomes a testimony of loss and, at the same time, a an exaltation of beauty and fragility.
Quotes by Francisco Umbral
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«Fate, chance, the gods, do not usually send great emissaries on white horses, nor in the Tsar's mail. Fate, in all its versions, always uses humble heralds.»
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«Life is neither noble, nor good, nor sacred, and I find nothing to respect or venerate in heaven or on earth... but thanks to this son, born and lost, there will always be for me, in the purest light, a sacred being, a creature of gold.»
