Idiosyncratic musings of an intellectual, humanistic Dutch physician working in a nursing home for the terminally ill, where physician-assisted suicide is accepted as a way of death. Keizer, who has a degree in philosophy from Nottingham University in England, thinks long and often about the human condition. References to Wittgenstein, Kafka, Wilde, Beckett, and Conrad pepper his text. While death is a pervasive theme, the irreverent Keizer airs his opinions freely about a variety of topics: God (doesn't exist), the practice of medicine (``that biochemical Lourdes, that inextricable amalgam of prayer, iodine, incense, fear of death, and molecules''), alternative therapies (lack a rational basis), the placebo effect (pervasive in medicine), cancer research (billions of dollars wasted), and doctors' powers over life and death (greatly overestimated). There's something here to offend, intrigue, or delight just about everyone. As for euthanasia, Keizer has two commandments: Never do it to ease the suffering of the spectators, and never do it in a hurry. Originally published as fiction in the Netherlands, these memoirs are loosely based on Keizer's diaries and letters, with changes made to protect patients' privacy. The author appears in them as Anton, a pesky gadfly who asks tough questions of his professional colleagues, talks about death with his dying patients, and frequents a nearby graveyard at lunchtime. Keizer did the English translation himself, which may account for the sometimes odd blend of conversational and formal styles. Those looking for a clear path through the euthanasia maze will not find it here; they will, however, meet a unique and curious mind, possessed by a physician with a conscience, which is always a pleasure.
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-385-48497-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1997
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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