Schavelzon Graham Agencia literaria Barcelona

An ideal presence

NARRATIVE. FLAMMARION, 2017. 176 PAGES

Doctors, interns, nurses, carers and orderlies but also beauticians, musicians and readers...

At the hospital each of them takes turns describing their encounters with the patients and families that most made an impression on them, the subtle ties that bind them and the dilemmas with which they’ve been presented. Vignettes describing the daily care of the bodies and souls of the people who have entrusted themselves to this very special team. This is palliative care: the patients here won’t get better and those who take care of them must be careful to achieve, not the ideal distance but the ideal presence. Theirs is a unique vocation: providing relief for those who go, and consoling those left behind. In this book, Eduardo Berti offers a simple, serious look at how people deal with imminent death and thus with life itself. In this homage to the carers, he provides a magnificent portrait of the human condition.

Review on Babelia, El País by Patricio Pron

Article La Vanguardia (Spanish)

Review on La Nación (Spanish)

«An Ideal Presence is mandatory reading.»

Alberto Manguel

«Eduardo Berti restrains himself from virtuous frippery, sticking to the simple act of giving body and soul to these lives, those that stay and those that go.»

Eric Chevillard, Le Monde

«Working not with the necessary distance of the carer but their necessary presence.»

Le Figaro

«A delicate mosaic of voices written at the perfect pitch.»

Felipe Fernández, La Nación

«A necessary and moving book.»

Patricio Pron, El País

«Delicate, complex, and respectful. Deeply affecting.»

Kirkus Reviews

PUBLISHED BY: Spain y Mexico ALIANZA | France FLAMMARION / LA CONTRE ALLÉE | Czech Republic RUNA | Latin America CIA NAVIERA ILIMITADA | USA FERN BOOKS