Waiting for the Last Bus: Reflections on Life and Death

Description

Where do we go when we die? Or is there nowhere to go? Is death something we can do or is it just something that happens to us? Now in his ninth decade, former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway has spent a lifetime at the bedsides of the dying, guiding countless men and women towards peaceful deaths. In Waiting For The Last Bus, he presents a positive, meditative and profound exploration of the many important lessons we can learn from death: facing up to the limitations of our bodies as they falter, reflecting on our failings, and forgiving ourselves and others. But in a modern world increasingly wary of acknowledging mortality, Waiting for the Last Bus is also a stirring plea to reacquaint ourselves with death. Facing and welcoming death gives us the chance to think about not only the meaning of our own life, but of life itself; and can mean the difference between ordinary sorrow and unbearable regret at the end. Radical, joyful and moving, Waiting for the Last Bus is an invitation to reconsider life's greatest mystery by one of the most important and beloved religious leaders of our time.

Richard Holloway was Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. A former Gresham Professor of Divinity and Chairman of the Joint Board of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Leaving Alexandria won the PEN/Ackerley Prize 2013 and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2013. Holloway has written for many newspapers in Britain, including The Times, Guardian, Observer, Herald and Scotsman. He has also presented many series for BBC television and radio; The Last Bus originated as a five-part series on Radio 4 in 2016.

Thought-provoking, revelatory, grave and comforting. It is impossible not to be moved by it in the most profound way -- ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH An inclusive and hugely nourishing reminder to take stock of our mortality . . . Elegant, elegiac and thought-provoking * * Observer * * Holloway writes with passion and honesty at all times, and the result is compelling * * Guardian * * Every bit as meditative, witty and elegiac as you would expect * * Scotsman * * The record of a mind too large, too curious and far too generous to be confined within any single religious denomination -- PHILIP PULLMAN A wise, compassionate perspective on a persistently taboo subject. The pragmatism and gentle humour make it an unusually inclusive book. For everyone, however young -- COLIN FIRTH Poignant . . . a subtle and consoling guide to dying -- CHARLOTTE RUNCIE * * Daily Telegraph * * Thoughtful, playful, courageous and deeply altruistic . . . a fine companion for anyone who wishes to live a life of any depth -- A.L. KENNEDY A wonderful, wise, compassionate and befriending piece of work -- KATHRYN MANNIX, author of With the End in Mind Written with the integrity, intelligence and wit that we expect from Richard Holloway -- KAREN ARMSTRONG