Esben Dalgaard

Esben Dalgaard presents the lecture "My Friend Death?" at Ringsted Library - a personal talk drawing on his own serious illness and the questions it raised: How do we find words for what we all know awaits us? And what happens when we don't have them?

He shares stories about a conversation with his youngest daughter and the lack of a shared family language for the inevitable. The lecture also draws on his work with DR's podcast series "Before We Die" and the TV programme "My Last Gift", where he has met people near the end of life and travelled to Mexico, the Philippines and Japan to see how other cultures relate to death.

Along the way, clips and perspectives are presented from conversations with, among others, former chair of the Ethics Council Jacob Birkler, hospital chaplain Lotte Mørk, hospice director Winnie Poulsen and Flemming Madsen from Life Ceremonies.

The lecture contains both seriousness and humour. It does not provide answers, but a starting point for conversations many of us postpone - because death may not become easier through silence, but it can become less lonely.