Emily Lawford

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Emily Lawford

People Esther Rantzen: ‘I’m not seeking to shorten my life, only my death’

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Emily Lawford

Kostya is 11 years old when he tastes his first ghostly meal. At the pool, sunburnt and missing his dead father, he feels a flavour travel across his tongue out of nowhere. "Chicken liver, sautéed onions, fresh dill garnish, squeeze of lemon. Pechonka." It was once his Ukrainian father's favourite dish. Kostya's special gift is that ghosts can send him messages through his tongue. When he's near someone grieving, the food their departed loved one is craving suddenly appears at the back of his throat.

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Emily Lawford

One bright September afternoon in a forest in Switzerland, a 64-year-old woman is about to die. She is standing in a clearing, in front of a purple capsule that’s just large enough to fit a human inside it. “Alright”, she says, as she opens the transparent lid of the pod. She steps in and lies down. I can hear her breathing. I am watching a video of the woman in the office of Philip Nitschke in Haarlem, the Netherlands. It’s November and it’s getting dark.

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Emily Lawford

Around 33 AD, Saul of Tarsus was a zealous young tent-maker, “breathing out threatenings and slaughter” against followers of Jesus. He watched on approvingly as Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death in Jerusalem: the killers laid their robes at Saul’s feet. Then he made his journey to Damascus. Near the city, a light flashed from heaven and Saul fell to the ground. A disembodied voice asked, “Saul, why persecuteth thou me?” He was blinded and could not eat or drink.

2 months ago | thetimes.com | Emily Lawford