Summary

The forward is written by Abraham Verghese. Early in his introduction, the author of the forward comments, about the author, that he “came to know [Kalanithi] most intimately when he’d ceased to be.” Verghese describes their first meeting (after Kalanithi came to him for some advice on writing and publishing) which took place after Kalanithi received his diagnosis of cancer, and how the two men (Kalanithi and Verghese) never met again: Verghese comments that he didn’t want to take precious time away from Kalanithi’s short life by trying to develop a new friendship. Verghese also describes encountering the beauty of Kalanithi’s writing in essays and magazine articles; compares that writing to that of famous writers including Galway Kinnell and Thomas Browne; and describes how, two months after Kalanithi’s funeral, he (Verghese) received a copy of Kalanithi’s...