When Slowing Down Becomes Essential

Jean-Dominique Bauby was widely esteemed as one of France’s most prolific and influential journalists. His work widely shaped the quickly evolving cultural landscape of Europe during the 1980s and ’90s. On December 8, 1995, having just signed a contract to write his next book, Bauby suffered a massive stroke that left him entirely paralyzed with a condition known as locked-in syndrome. His legs, hands, arms, and fingers were rendered entirely unmovable. 

The traumatic experience left the brilliant journalist, writer, and…