Laurent Grenier: born in Paris, France, from Canadian parents, on January 5, 1957. Three months later, his family moves back to Canada permanently.

On June 4, 1974, the strapping teenager he had grown into, with a passion for sports, suffers a neck injury in a diving accident, which results in quadriplegia (near complete paralysis). Suddenly, everything that had motivated him to live until then and whatever future he had imagined for himself become impossible; his life appears absurd and hopeless.

“Why live?” This existential question has been the centerpiece of his meditations for the last 40 years, and his insightful, educated answer—which in the end engages every field of human knowledge—is his greatest achievement. May it be of much benefit to you, dear reader.