Loneliness of the Dying [Paperback]

Norbert Elias (Author), Edmund Jephcott (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2001 | ISBN-10: 075678512X | ISBN-13: 978-0756785123

Originally published in 1985, this is a short meditation by a great old man on people relating to other people who are dying, and the need for all of us to open up.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Norbert Elias, 1897-1990, was a member of the Frankfurt School of social philosophers. Continuum International is well known as the publisher of other social thinkers associated with the Frankfurt School: Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, Juergen Habermas, and Max Horkheimer, in addition to collections The Essential Frankfurt School Reader and German 20th Century Philosophy: The Frankfurt School. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: Diane Pub Co (November 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075678512X
• ISBN-13: 978-0756785123
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,295,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complementary readings to Elias' book, June 16, 2009

By 

César González Rouco (Madrid, Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loneliness of the Dying (Paperback)

There are already two good -if divergent- reviews so -although the subject may be one about which we try not to think too much or often- I will only suggest reading the following books, more or less related to the matter, in addition to Elias' interesting work: a) "A Social History of Dying" by Allan Kellehear; b) "How we die" by Sherwin B. Nuland; and c) chapter 11th of "The Waning of the Middle Ages" by Johan Huizinga.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars care with love, August 17, 2008

By 

knowledge seeker (Emery, South Dakota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loneliness of the Dying (Paperback)

As a caregiver I found this book to be a very worthwhile read. The necessity of the human touch to counter the cold, antiseptic clinical care that is given in our "modern" health care facilities is something that our health professionals should be taught.

4 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No major insights here - look elsewhere!, December 9, 2004

By 

Rinchen Choesang "Empty Seeker" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Loneliness of the Dying (Paperback)

Thinking this book would offer some insight into the emotional challenges posed by the pre-death exit from society's radar that befalls some terminally ill patients, I was disappointed with this offering.

This is really a rambling treatise setting out Norbert Elias' sociological/anthropological theories about the history of societal acceptance of death.

I found it rather boring and there are some rather dreadful generalisations throughout the book - a couple at cringe level! There were in my view very few supportable ideas here and basically I would suggest you try other books that have been reviewed on Amazon - Stephen Levine - "Who Dies", Christine Longaker - "Facing Death and Finding Hope", Dr Rob Buckman - "I Don't Know What to Say" are all excellent and there are many more. The latter of these three is an excellent book, filled with insights and suggestions. A real gem, focussing on a personal journey through loss, is Tom Crider's "Giving Sorrow Words" - this is a very moving book, written with great compassion and honesty.