Sorrow's Company: Writers on Loss and Grief

by Dewitt Henry

Book Overview

In this volume, DeWitt Henry has collected some of the finest contemporary writing about loss and the grieving process, essays that explore emotional trauma in finely crafted prose. Debra Spark recounts her sister's death and reflects on all of the ideas that have helped her come to terms with grief. William Gibson writes eloquently of his mother's passing with a new understanding of the cycles of life. Andre Dubus describes the terrible loss of mobility he suffered in a freak accident, and what his pain and disability taught him about the human will. Transported back to her native Antigua and to all the complexities of a difficult childhood, Jamaica Kincaid confronts her brother's ostracism and death from AIDS.

All of the pieces reflect, in some aspect, the tenacity, the strength to go forward and to love, that has informed these life journeys andthe resolve that "what matters is not what becomes of us, but what we become." This collection offers a unique perspective on loss, a depth of insight and compassion that only such masterful writers could summon.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807062375
• ISBN13: 9780807062371
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A tribute to a universal human experience

Sorrow's Company: Writers On Loss And Grief is an impressive, original anthology of essays and commentaries on the confusion and pain that comes with the death of a friend or loved one. But the fifteen writers who's works are included under the ably editorship of DeWitt Henry translate sorrow into the process of recovery. Spiritual and literary in tone, these assembled works bridge the gulf between the pain of loss and the healing of recovery from loss that makes Sorrow's Company both a tribute to a universal human experience and a source of solace to a bereaved readership. With the contributor essays divided into three main sections (Leave-takings; Bereft; Legacies) Sorrow's Company is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal and community library collections and grief counseling reading lists.

Beautiful book, brilliant writing

I loved this book. Thankfully I have not had the experience of losing someone I love yet, but reading the words of these amazing writers was nothing less than transformative to me. Each writer tells a story about what he/she lost and how that loss impacted his/her life. I actually bought this book for my aunt, whose husband just passed away, but I ended up reading it myself. I was captured by the high quality writing of each of the essays. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in thinking about "the big things" in life. I cried a lot reading it, but I also felt refreshed. It makes you realize how many "everyday" people are truly courageous, and it makes me hope that when I lose someone I will be courageous too.