Somewhere Towards The End (Paperback)

Diana Athill (author)

£9.99

Paperback 192 Pages / Published: 02/12/2021

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Synopsis Author

What is it like to be old? Written in her nineties, when she was free from any inhibitions she may have once had, Diana Athill reflects frankly on the losses and occasionally the gains that old age can bring, and on the wisdom and fortitude required to face death. Lively, fearless and humorous, Somewhere Towards the End encapsulates the vibrant final decades of Athill's life. Filled with events, love and friendships, this is a memoir about maintaining hope, joy and vigour in later life, resisting regret, and questioning the beliefs and customs of your own generation.

Publisher: Granta Books
ISBN: 9781783787456
Number of pages: 192
Weight: 140 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 11 mm

MEDIA REVIEWS

'There is a sense throughout Athill's work that you are making a new friend asmuch as reading a new story ... a delight to read' - Observer

'The book is a moving and humorous account of old age, unsparing about itsindignities, unflinching from the inevitability that the end can not be many yearsaway, but full of joy at the way life keeps on, at the most unexpected moments,renewing itself' - Irish Times

'Part expose, part treatise on old age, the book is a ruminative read' - SundayTimes

'Her brilliant book is entirely lacking in the usual regrets, nostalgia and Hovis-adrecollections of old-timers. It is a little literary gem, penned by a marvellous, feistyold character ... What a treasure' - Daily Mail

Diana Athill

Amongst editors, Diana Athill enjoyed a near-legendary status, enabling talents such as John Updike, Jean Rhys and V.S. Naipaul to reach extraordinary literary heights. Synonymous with publisher André Deutsch, Athill underpinned a writing revolution. All this, however, was in parallel with a flourishing genius of her own. 1962’s Instead of a Letter was a bold, unusual, and incredibly cathartic memoir of love and loss; several decades later, Athill released a string of unforgettable life accounts, including tales of her craft in 2000’s Stet and the astonishing clarity of 2015's Alive, Alive Oh!

Visit the Diana Athill author page