When Breath Becomes Air

by Paul Kalanithi

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Is fiction mentioned anywhere in the book "When Breath Becomes Air"?

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The book "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi mentions fiction through his love for literature, fostered by his mother. He references reading Jeremy Leven's fictional work, "Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S." Additionally, the book quotes the poem "Caelica 83" by Baron Brooke Fulke Greville and references T.S. Eliot's fictional writings. While the book is non-fiction, some details are altered for privacy.

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The author of the book, Paul Kalanithi, mentions fiction in the book When Breath Becomes Air. He develops a love for reading and literature through his mother, who makes Paul and his brothers read books from college reading lists. During this time, he was not too keen on the practice of medicine, as his father was a doctor too. He specifically references reading the book Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. (a fictional work by Jeremy Leven), the summer before he starts school at Stanford University. The book is about a messy psychiatrist with many problems in his personal life. Kalanithi also went on to get a degree in English literature as well.

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Does When Breath Becomes Air mention fictional stories?

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanathi is a work of non-fiction. Therefore most things that are referenced within it are drawn from real world experience. However, names have been changed from their real life counterparts.

At the beginning of the book though, the text "Caelica 83" is quoted before the first chapter. This is a poem written by Baron Brooke Fulke Greville, and its longer title is "Caelica 83: You that seek what life is in death."

There are also references in early chapters to TS Eliot's fictional writings, including "The Wasteland."

Most of the anecdotes and stories told throughout the book though are based on Dr Kalanathi's memories. But, for privacy reasons, details about the patients' lives, medical histories, and so on have been changed for the book.

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