Companionship in Grief: Love and Loss in the Memoirs of C. S. Lewis, John Bayley, Donald Hall, Joan Didion, and Calvin Trillin [Paperback]

InCompanionship in Grief, Jeffrey Berman focuses on the most life-changing event for many peoplethe death of a spouse. Some of the most acclaimed memoirs of the past fifty years offer insights into this profound loss: C. S. Lewis'sA Grief Observed; John Bayley's three memoirs about Iris Murdoch, includingElegy for Iris; Donald Hall'sThe Best Day the Worst Day; Joan Didion's best-sellingThe Year of Magical Thinking; and Calvin Trillin'sAbout Alice. These books explore the nature of spousal bereavement, the importance of caregiving, the role of writing in recovery, and the possibility of falling in love again after a devastating loss. 

Throughout his study, Berman traces the theme of love and loss in all five memoirists' fictional and nonfictional writings as well as in those of their spouses, who were also accomplished writers. Combining literary studies, grief and bereavement theory, attachment theory, composition studies, and trauma theory,Companionship in Griefwill appeal to anyone who has experienced love and loss. Berman's research casts light on five remarkable marriages, showing how autobiographical stories of love and loss can memorialize deceased spouses and offer wisdom and comfort to readers.

JEFFREY BERMANis professor of English at the University at Albany. His previous books includeRisky Writing: Self-Disclosure and Self-Transformation in the Classroom;Surviving Literary Suicide; andDiaries to an English Professor: Pain and Growth in the Classroom.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Lost Other Is an Ongoing Part of Our Existence
1 .C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman: Never Have I Loved Her More than since She Was Struck Down 
2. John Bayley and Iris Murdoch: In Widowhood You Lose Not Only Your Loved One but Much of Yourself 
3. Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon: Art Is Created against Death
4. Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne: Lifeló&