Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History

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Whether Goethe actually cried "More light!" on his deathbed, or whether Conrad Hilton checked out of this world after uttering "Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub," last words, regardless of authenticity, have long captured the imagination of Western society. In this playfully serious investigation based on factual accounts, anecdote

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Whether or not Goethe actually cried "More light!" on his deathbed ... last words, regardless of their authenticity, have long captured our imaginations. Here Karl Guthke explores the cultural importance of those words spoken at the border between this world and the next. "Last Words ... is filled with zesty farewells from just this side of the grave... A stimulating tome shot through with grisly black humor and goosey trivia."--Boston Phoenix Literary Supplement