In Bauby's case, his mouth, arms, and legs were paralyzed, and he lost 27 kilograms (60 lb) in the first 20 weeks after his stroke.

Claude Mendibil, a ghostwriter and freelance book editor, was sent by his publisher Robert Laffont to take the dictation using a system called partner-assisted scanning.

[8] In 2007, painter and director Julian Schnabel released a film version of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly adapted for the screen by Ronald Harwood.

The film was criticized by Bauby's closest circle of friends as not faithful to events and biased in favor of his ex-partner Sylvie de la Rochefoucauld.

[3] His late-life partner Florence Ben Sadoun was represented as shunning him after his stroke, although in reality she visited him frequently at the hospital in Berck-sur-Mer where he lived during his final days.

[16] Beth Arnold of Salon.com notes: The film is said to be "based on a true story," which, of course, is from Bauby's book.

They fear this collision between art and reality has created a revisionist history that is accepted by filmgoers around the world, and that this is what will remain in the collective cultural memory.