I am in the midst of "Nothing to be Frightened of", by Julian Barnes. He is my sort of writer. The book I am reading is purportedly about his life, but it is all about death. I like it.
To get an idea of the stuff that he writes, here is something:
"One of Montaigne's key instances is the story of Pomponius Atticus, a correspondent of Cicero's. When Atticus fell ill, and medical attempts to prolong his existence merely prolonged his pain, he decided that the best solution was to starve himself to death .No need to petition a court in those days, citing the terminal detorioration in your 'quality of life': Atticus, being a Free Ancient,merely informed his friends and family of his intention, then refused food and waited for the end. In this, he was much confounded. Miraculously, abstinence turned out to be the best cure for his (unnamed) condition; and soon, the sick man was undeniably on the mend. There was much rejoicing ad feasting; perhaps the doctors even withdrew their bills. But Atticus interrupted the merriment. Since we all must die one day, he announced, and since I have already made such fine strides in that direction, I have no desire to turn around now, only to start again another time. And so, to the admiring dismay of those around him, Atticus continued to refuse the food and went to his exemplary death."
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