Quicksand: What It Means to Be a Human Being
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Book Overview
A stunning and poignant autobiographical look at the myriad experiences that shape a meaningful life, by the bestselling author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries. In January 2014, Henning Mankell received a diagnosis of lung cancer. Quicksand is a response to this shattering news--but it is not a memoir of destruction. Instead, it is a testament to a life fully lived, a tribute to the extraordinary but fleeting human journey that delivers both boundless opportunity and crucial responsibility. In a series of intimate vignettes, Mankell ranges over rich and varied reflections: of growing up in a small Swedish town, where he experiences a startling revelation on a winter morning as a young boy; of living hand-to-mouth during a summer in Paris as an ambitious young writer; of his work at a theater in Mozambique, where Lysistrata is staged in the midst of civil war; of chance encounters with men and women who changed his understanding of the world. Along the way, Mankell ponders the meaning of a good life, and the critically important ways we can shape the future of humanity if we are fortunate enough to have the choice. Vivid, clear-eyed, and breathtakingly beautiful, Quicksand is an invaluable parting gift from a great man.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0525432159
ISBN13:9780525432159
Release Date:January 2017
Publisher:Vintage
Length:320 Pages
Weight:0.54 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.1" x 7.9"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Memoir of a Great Author & a Dying Man
Published by Douglas Brown , 1 month ago
The stimulus for the book Quicksand was the cancer diagnosis Henning Mankell received after dealing with neck pain. He began to live with the reality of his own mortality and pondered what was truly important in life. He reflects on many subjects from living with cancer, man's seemingly consumptive need to destroy the natural world, friends that have died, etc. The chapters are short but packed with insights derived from a full life. Whether you're a fan of Henning Mankell or not, this book will make you stop and ponder your own life and its impact on others and the world.
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