And A Dog called Fig
Solitude, Connection, the Writing Life
-
- 10,99 €
-
- 10,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Award-winning author Helen Humphreys tells a beautiful tale in this brilliant memoir of the writing life as told through the dogs Humphreys has lived with and loved over a lifetime.
An artist’s solitude is a sacred space, one to be guarded and kept apart from the chaos of the world. But in the artist’s quiet there is also loneliness, self-doubt, the possibility of collapsing too far inward.
What an artist needs is a familiar, a creature perfectly suited to accompany them on this coveted, difficult journey. They need a companion with emotional intelligence, innate curiosity, passion, energy, and an enthusiasm for the world beyond, but also the capacity to sleep contentedly for many hours. What an artist needs, Helen Humphreys would say, is a dog.
This brilliant reflection touches on themes of connection, solitude, friendship and the creative process, and culminating with the arrival of a new puppy, Fig.
A love song to the dogs who come into our lives, and all that they bring—sorrow, mayhem, meditation, joy—this is a book about companionship and loss, creativity and the writer’s craft, filled with the beauty of a steadfast canine friend and the restorative powers of nature.
Interspersed are stories of other writers and their irreplaceable companions: Virginia Woolf and Grizzle, Gertrude Stein and Basket, Thomas Hardy and Wessex—the dog who walked the dining table at dinner parties, taking whatever he liked—and many more.
Just as every work of art is different, every dog is different—with distinctive needs and lessons to offer. If we let them guide us, they, like art, will show us many worlds we would otherwise miss.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this tender tribute, novelist and essayist Humphreys (The Evening Chorus) explores the parallels between "the creative journey" and communing with one's canine. After her beloved vizsla Charlotte's death, Humphreys adopted another vizsla, Fig, named for her dark red fur, "the colour of a ripe Calimyrna fig." Despite a rocky start (mainly due to the pup's penchant for nipping), the two quickly settled into a loving relationship, one that came to nourish Humphreys's craft. Intriguingly, she describes the process of writing as akin to that of caring for a puppy—from finding structure in daily strolls, to discovering the perfect setting ("I pay attention to the landscape in a very immediate way, as my dog does"), pacing, and ending. As she mixes her sparkling ruminations with stories of other famous writers who felt a similar kinship to their pooches—among them, Anton Chekov, Alice Walker, and Virginia Woolf (who believed "that dogs represented ‘the private side of life—the play side' ")—she gives equal veneration to the power of walking. "The dog walk is not to be underestimated as a source for creativity and life-giving energy," she opines. "What crosses your path will always... lead you to discover new things." Dog lovers will find this a treat.