The last best days of my life

Gilberto Dimenstein chose to be the subject of his latest report. This is how he describes "The Last Best Days of My Life": an autobiographical account of how he battled a serious bout of cancer, narrating the process through the lens of a career spanning over thirty years in journalism. Anna Penido, acting as ombudsman and partner, was by his side to produce the work together when Gilberto no longer had the strength to do it alone. The book took on the air of a grand declaration of love, yet another of the couple's bonds.

Through testimonies, memories, and remembrances, delicately illustrated by artist Paulo von Poser, Dimenstein emphasizes that his final best days were not the only great moments of his life: he also experienced countless professional achievements, trips, encounters, unforgettable music concerts (one of his great passions), and the joy of hearing his grandson call him Grandpa Gil for the first time. But these best days, lived after the discovery of cancer—pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease—were the most complicit, profound, and happy.

For someone who, in his own words, "spent his entire life disconnected, terrified, and anxious," the feeling of being alive and being able to share life with the people he loves, adding new meaning to existence, is comparable to the moment when a caterpillar recognizes itself as a butterfly.

Thanks to this work, and the legacy the author leaves us, Gilberto Dimenstein's last best days will be eternal.