WHEN Simon Boas shared his thoughts in the JEP about death and the joy of living following a terminal-cancer diagnosis, he had no idea that millions would find comfort and inspiration in his words.
One of the Weekend Essays he penned for this newspaper went viral and has now been read more than half a million times on the JEP website alone. It was also reproduced by the Daily Telegraph and Mail on Sunday, and read out on Radio 4 – and Simon has been inundated with letters of support and requests that his reflections be used in church newsletters, read to those also facing their mortality and at funerals.
But that is far from the end of the story. A publishing house has now acquired the worldwide rights to create a book entitled A Beginner’s Guide to Dying. Money generated through sales will be given to palliative-care charities.
Swift Press have described Simon’s book as “a paean to the joy of life”. It is due to be published on 24 October, but copies can be pre-ordered now on Amazon, Waterstones or direct from the publisher.
Simon, the executive director of Jersey Overseas Aid, was diagnosed with throat cancer last year and has since written about his prognosis and the many reasons not to feel gloomy about it.
The countless responses he received encouraged him to try to expand on why “hopping the twig” at 46 really isn’t so bad.
In his second article, Simon wrote that his prognosis “isn’t quite ‘Don’t buy any green bananas’. But it’s close to ‘Don’t start any long books.’”
“I shall already have hopped the twig by the time this book comes out, but it brings me so much joy to think that my words might benefit other people,” he said.
“And not just those people – there really is no right or wrong way to approach the grave – but everyone who might sometimes feel that they have lost touch with what’s really important in life, cluttered as it always is with so many daily worries and commitments.
“I’m delighted also that this will raise money for palliative-care charities, particularly ones which focus on children and on developing countries. All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
Mark Richards, of Swift Press, said: “I read A Beginner’s Guide to Dying with tears running down my cheeks and a broad smile on my face. It is a truly wonderful piece of writing; so warm, so funny and so wise, with lessons for all of us in how to approach life – how to realise how lucky we are, and how we can make the most of our time on this earth.
“It is clear from the global reaction to Simon’s original pieces for the Jersey Evening Post how much his writing has already meant to people, and it is a true privilege to be publishing the book based on them. Like so many others, I feel lucky to have met Simon – and know that so many more will find his writing inspiring, and even life-changing.”
