About The Author

Gudmund Lindbaek was the natural choice to author this pioneering global exploration of mourning rituals, wakes, and funerals. Growing up in Norway’s far north, this long time journalist has developed an intimate understanding of both life and death through his reporting.

His work has connected him with people across cultures, particularly those navigating grief after losing loved ones. Lindbaek’s perspective was further shaped by his own brush with mortality—a harrowing near-drowning experience in the frigid North Atlantic as a young man.

“While many of us grow up with religious texts and then abandon them, this book serves as a different kind of sacred text—one for those contemplating mortality,” Lindbaek reflects. “And that includes all of us, as death claims both young and old alike. This is a Bible for those still living, helping us approach life’s end with understanding.”

Through his research, Lindbaek discovered how understanding others’ experiences with grief can help us confront our own mortality. Though death represents life’s final chapter, he found remarkable diversity in how cultures approach mourning and funeral practices.

Perhaps most surprising was his discovery that even in life’s darkest moments, humor and light can emerge—revealing unexpected brightness at the edges of our most profound losses.