This volume contains for the first time in English, Jan PatoÄ?ka seminal essay “The Phenomenology of Afterlifeâ€?, as well as contributions surrounding and analyzing this text. In his essay, PatoÄ?ka reflects on our relation to the dead and on how the departure of a loved one affects our continued existence. The premise of PatoÄ?ka investigation is that our existence always takes place by and through an originary and reciprocal “being for othersâ€?. The contributors in the volume extend the field of inquiry into the wider phenomenological and post-phenomenological discussion of death by being cognizant of how works of literature can broaden our understanding of the care of death, grief, forgiveness and non-reciprocal love. Also included are reflections on issues of philosophical anthropology, community, collective memory, and the ecstatic nature of life – issues that can all be related back to PatoÄ?ka initial reflections, but which nonetheless radiate intoa myriad of directions. This volume appeals to students and researchers in the field.