s\'agripper à la vie

11:32 Oct 8, 2015 

Such speculations aside, we obviously do need more information in order to judge how to render it in English.

11:11 Oct 8, 2015 

I take your point, Nikki; it nearly always implies "hanging in there", clinging to life in adversity, though the example I quoted of an octogenarian who "s'agrippe à la vie comme un jeune homme" suggests it's not invariably so. As for positive/negative, well, clinging to life is more positive than giving in to death, I suppose, but I presume the asker regards this as negative.

But another possibility that's suddenly occurred to me is that this very active person, to whom (barring special circumstances) this expression is inapplicable in its normal sense, might be saying it ironically: like saying "mustn't grumble" when you're actually on the crest of a wave, or "just about hanging on" when you swim a mile before breakfast, etc.

10:29 Oct 8, 2015 

This expression is usually found in context where a person is fighting hard to hang on in there, struggling against serious illness or facing great adversity of some kind. A positive connotation is normally read into this. Is there some context of illness or difficulty in the background?

If there is no indication of some time of battle going on, then I would not expect this expression to be used. Indeed, "mordre la vie à pleins dents" would be a more likely choice. Coould you give more background please?