The poignant radio dialogue between Marian Finucane and her gravely ill friend Nuala O’Faolain on an April Saturday in 2008 laid bare a soul crushed by a brutal cancer diagnosis. Even though I didn’t personally know her, Nuala’s anguish deeply affected me. Driven by the belief that I could discover the ultimate poem or piece of prose that might comfort her, I started a quest that was abruptly halted by her passing just 19 days later.
My own encounter with cancer in 2014 revived my yearning to discover profound literature about such a pivotal life event. This personal endeavour eventually transformed into the idea for a book. A compilation of 50 remarkably insightful pieces from the literary world about cancer, intended to benefit patients, caregivers, and their dear ones alike. From novels and memoirs to poetry and short stories, ‘The Breath of Consolation: Finding Solace in Cancer Literature’ offers empowering, empathetic, and comforting works.
One might assume that choosing quality books about cancer would be a straightforward task considering the extensive volumes available in libraries and bookstores. However, the reality proved to be a massive task, akin to searching for unique flora in a vast and constantly growing jungle. To swiftly and accurately locate literature that sheds light on the complexities of a cancer experience, and in doing so helps us withstand pain, find significance and restore hope, practical guidance is indeed essential.
Despite the demanding task before me, I remained undaunted. My journey as a public librarian had ended prematurely due to cancer, but my belief in the transformative power of reading and my capability of connecting book enthusiasts with extraordinary literary works were undiminished.
The extremely diverse nature of cancer ensures that each individual’s encounter with the physical challenges and potential disfigurement brought on by the illness and its treatment is singular. However, the psychological, emotional and spiritual distress that ensues following a cancer diagnosis is a common human experience. It feels as though our lives have been completely shattered. Struggling to express our experience feels like an insurmountable task. Troublesome spiritual and psychological inquiries constantly plague our thoughts. In light of how valuable life is, how can we grapple with our inevitable end? Can we somehow acknowledge this, accept the uncertainty and delicate balance of life, and continue to live a fulfilling and significant existence with the time we have left?
Adding to the complexity, the emotional strain cancer places on friendships and family relationships introduces an additional source of sorrow. Feelings of helplessness, susceptibility and isolation are unavoidable. Family, friends and professional mental health support play an integral role, but readers also have another potent tool at their disposal when in need of understanding, meaning and perspective.
Cancer literature indeed holds significant weight. It truthfully articulates, in all its intricacy, what it means to coexist with cancer while confronting death. It provides readers with a clearer vision and method to live genuinely. Engage with powerful cancer narratives. Don’t be deterred – it is not a morose task. You will encounter brutally candid narratives of immense suffering. However, you will also unearth writings filled with hard-won insight, appreciation and surprisingly, even happiness. Strikingly, by openly addressing suffering and death, it is life, with all its meaningful complexities, that is celebrated.
Here lies the core point: this is literature teeming with strength and intent. It includes lessons on suffering and dying that everyone can derive invaluable lessons from. Furthermore, these lessons are applicable not just to our final journey, but to every hurdle we face in our lives. Edna O’Brien’s description of profound literature as apropos from the “gouged times, when the heart is cut open” can also relate to the act of reading. When the distressed writer and reader unite, the sense of connection, camaraderie, the sensation of no longer being isolated in a gloomy place, is incredibly soothing. It is as if you and the writer are conspirators, creating meaning collectively. The prospect of dealing with cancer and mortality becomes less daunting. Self-realisation and acceptance finally appear attainable.
The dilemma of how to suitably showcase the literary gems I was unearthing was no small task. Those enduring the battle against cancer experience a frequent theft of their focus. Previously familiar reading patterns become disrupted as mental and physical wellbeing plummets. Reading inclinations oscillate, often hindered by the quest for the appropriate literature for one’s current circumstance.
My answer to these dilemmas is manifold. ‘The Breath of Consolation’ functions as an anthology, a reference book, a treasury, and a literary companion all-in-one. Centered around five crucial genres – memoir, novel, short stories, poetry, and creative non-fiction – each creates a haven and refuge. You may delve into a cherished genre or explore uncharted territory. Open at any page and engage with either a fragment or a poem. Delve deeper into the literary labyrinth, secure in the knowledge that wherever you land, a shared experience awaits.
When desolation seems to imprison us, disconnecting us from the world, the miraculous transformation formed by exceptional cancer literature can liberate us.
An immaculate balance resulted from a diligent, gender-neutral selection process, allowing underrepresented voices to stand strong. The anthology incorporates cancer literature spanning three centuries, derived from six continents and 13 nations. Each piece is prefaced by an essay, detailing captivating aspects, thoughtfully selected fragments, and insightful critiques.
As preparations commenced, it was apparent that certain literature would undoubtedly secure a spot. Novella ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ by Tolstoy and ‘Tell Me a Riddle’, a short story by Tillie Olsen, were unquestioned inclusions, as were the pioneering memoirs of Audre Lorde that reshaped the narrative of cancer culture. Works by revered authors who deservedly claimed their places include favourites by JM Coetzee, Pat Barker, Helen Dunmore, and Elizabeth Strout. The presence of seven Irish authors – Jennifer Johnston, John McGahern, Lia Mills, Elaine Feeney, Ciaran Carson, Mary Costello and CS Lewis – in the roster is delightful, yet expected.
My primary objective was to infuse my book with engaging and captivating writings from overlooked authors, poets, memoirists, and journalists, including Mary Bradish O’Connor and Philip Hodgins, two poets I hold dear. Although they had a strong connection with their Irish heritage, they remain largely unrecognized in Ireland. My aspiration is that this book will introduce them to a new audience who will find comfort in their words, and ideally, catalyse the stocking of their works in Irish public libraries.
The journey of creating my book had an intriguing circularity, culminating with an essay on Oliver Sacks’s book Gratitude. If I had to pick a single piece of work that could have provided Nuala O’Faolain the comfort she deeply sought, it would unquestionably be Sacks’s profound farewell note.
Despite their creators’ contrasting backgrounds, the 50 works in my collection have certain shared attributes. They bravely confront the agonies and miseries of cancer, ending the prevailing silence surrounding mortality. Crucial issues are meticulously dissected and brought to the fore. Writers grappling with existential dilemmas offer lucidity and wisdom to complex spiritual and philosophical questions.
The authors skilfully scrutinise the emotional burden cancer places on relationships and friendships. Difficult matters like the demand for positivity, fraudulent medical practices, the military metaphors associated with cancer and patient activism are addressed. They refrain from oversimplifying the cancer journey, instead acknowledging its intricacy and extracting valuable lessons.
I embarked on this journey with the grand aspiration of formulating a quintessential introductory anthology on cancer literature, which I soon realised was an imprudent quest. My collection is merely a launch pad reflecting my own experiences and persona.
One of my primary goals is to ensure readers remain cognizant of significant works. Selections of any nature tend to be intensely debated and occasionally contentious, and the divergent opinions and perceived omissions merely add to the excitement. I remain hopeful that my book will invite such criticism. Even better, it may prompt others to construct new paths to excellent cancer literature, giving those living and dying with the disease the ultimate benefit.
In the entryway of an aged Egyptian library, the inscription “The Place of the Cure of the Soul” can be found. This striking phrase aptly distills the objective librarians throughout history have persistently sought out. This phrase also precisely summarises my goal when compiling this cancer literature in this publication. Amidst feelings of hopelessness and isolation, profound cancer prose can provide liberation. It’s an antidote to desolation, and reignites the potential of revival, likened to the poignant term used by Emily Brontë, “chainless souls”. This signifies possessing the resilience to confront whatever challenges brought on by cancer.
Josephine Brady held the role of County Librarian in Cavan for over twenty years. Her debut novel is “The Breath of Consolation: Finding Solace in Cancer Literature”.