The Language of Loss: Writers on Grieving the Death of a Life Partner: Poetry and Prose for Grieving and Celebrating the Love of Your Life - Softcover

Barbara Abercrombie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1608686957 ISBN 13: 9781608686957

Publisher: New World Library, 2021

Synopsis

When Barbara Abercrombie's husband died, she found the language of condolence, no matter how well intended, irritating. "My husband had not gone to a better place, as if he were on a holiday. He had not passed, like clouds overhead. He wasn't my late husband, as if he'd missed a train. And I had not lost him, as if I'd been careless." She yearned instead for words that acknowledged the reality of death, that spoke about the unfathomable sorrow and loneliness (and perhaps even guilt and anger), and that might even point the way toward hope and healing. She found those words in the writings gathered here. The prose and poetry in The Language of Loss follows an arc that mirrors the path of many mourners -- from abject loss and feeling unmoored, to glimmers of promise and possibility, through to gratitude for the love they knew. C.S. Lewis wrote, "We read to know that we're not alone." These writings, which express what often feels ineffable, will accompany those who grieve, offering understanding and solace.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Abercrombie has published fifteen books, including Courage & Craft: Writing Your Life into Story and A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement. She teaches in the Writer's Program at UCLA Extension and lives in Los Angeles and Lake Arrowhead, California.

Edition details

• Publisher: New World Library
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1608686957
• ISBN 13: 9781608686957
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176