Barbara Grizzuti Harrison - Final Years

Final Years

In 1994 Harrison, who had been a heavy smoker for most of her adult life, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. During her illness she completed her last book, An Accidental Autobiography. As the title implied, the book was less a straightforward memoir than a stream-of-consciousness collection of memories and reflections, loosely organised by theme.

Harrison wrote little afterwards as her illness progressed. She died on 24 April 2002 in a hospice in Manhattan.

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