Swansong: A Message of Love and Farewell

âHELLO. Welcome to my cottage. And yes, do please come in and make yourself comfortable.â

So begins this collection of intimate essays by a man, who says heâs in his 90s and wanting to leave a loving farewell to humankind. Heâs not quite one of us, he claims, and wants to offer us a special parting gift.

His gift will be accepted by some, rejected by others, come as a source of comfort or, quite possibly, outrage. Determined to keep his last days for himself, he insists on remaining anonymous.

Says the writerâ godson and editor, Barry Head: âLike many of you who will read Swansong, Iâm not sure what to make of it. I found it challenging and provocative, but while disagreeing with my godfather about many things, I found what he says always beguiling in its friendly, playful, non-judgmental tone. Very quirky. So quirky, in fact, that I felt it deserved publicationâ"particularly as it was written as a legacy for all of us.â

BARRY HEAD is a painter and writer, spending most of the year in Oaxaca, Mexico. We invite you to visit barryhead.com and barryheadwriter.com.

Original cover art © 2007 by Barry Head