 |
Jean-Dominique BaubyFrench journalist, screenwriter, writer and editor-in-chief of ELLE France magazine
Date of Birth: 23.04.1952
Country:  France |
Content:
Biography of Jean-Dominique Bauby
Jean-Dominique Bauby was a renowned French journalist, screenwriter, writer, and editor-in-chief of ELLE France magazine.
A Life-Changing Stroke
On December 8, 1995, at the age of 43, Bauby suffered a severe stroke while he was with his son, heading for a ride in his new sports car. After twenty days in a coma, Bauby regained consciousness only to find that he was completely paralyzed, except for his left eye. Doctors at the clinic devised a special alphabet for Bauby, where the letters were arranged based on their frequency of use in the French language. A speech therapist would slowly read out the letters in this specific order, and if the desired letter was reached, Bauby would blink once. One blink meant "yes," while two blinks meant "no." Using this method, Bauby was able to write an entire book about his inner world and sensations. The book became tremendously successful, but sadly, Bauby passed away from pneumonia just ten days after its publication.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
In 2007, director Julian Schnabel adapted Bauby's book into a film titled "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (original title: "Le Scaphandre et le Papillon"). The film also depicted moments from Bauby's life. The lead role was played by Mathieu Amalric. The film received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Best Director prize for Julian Schnabel at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the Best Foreign Language Film award from the National Board of Review, the Lumiere Award for Best Film, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film, as well as four Oscar nominations.
