HELLO. Welcome to my cottage. And yes, do please come in and make yourself comfortable.
So begins this collection of intimate essays by a man, who says he’s in his 90s and wanting to leave a loving farewell to humankind. He’s 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 writer’s godson and editor, Barry Head: Like many of you who will read Swansong, I’m 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 publication particularly as it was written as a legacy for all of us.
