Requiem for the Living: A Memoir [Paperback]

After nine years of keeping his prostate cancer at bay, the clinical trials and cancer drugs lost their effectiveness. Instead of withdrawing from the world, Jeff Metcalf chose to dive deeper into writing, challenging himself to write one essay each week for a year. That collection of fifty-two essays was chosen by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums as the winner of their 2012 Original Writing Competition.Requiem for the Livingcontains the best of these essays, selected and reworked by the author, who continues to defy his earlier diagnosis. The essays form a unique memoir, painting a rich portrait of a man who has had a full and engaging life. Funny, moving and profoundly personal, they celebrate living and serve as a reminder to us all. He does not describe a life defined by cancer but rather writes to discover what his life has been, who he has become, and what he has learned along the way. 

Recipient of the Mayor's Award in Literary Arts at the Utah Arts Festival in 2015.

An honest, clear-eyed, and humorous reflection on life and all its muddy realities.

I liked this book first for what it is, a cleanly written and fascinating story of a life spent paying close attention to the miracles but I also like it very much for what it isnt, and could so easily have been, a work of self-pity, a litany of ills and blaming. Brian Doyle, editor ofPortland Magazineand author ofTwo Voices.?

This is truly an unusual book! What Jeff Metcalf has accomplished in his collection of essays is to write an intimate and frank book about a life well lived.? It is a dear and personal book that increases the supply of affection in the world and adds mightily to our shared kindness. Incisive, personal, and brave, this is a book that will prove bracing company for years to come.Requiem for the Livingis a memoir with a unique wavelengthmine and it should be on everyones night stand. Ron Cals/