きのこのなぐさめ
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- ¥3,600
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- ¥3,600
発行者による作品情報
悲しみの淵にいた私を、そこから連れ出してくれたのは、きのこだった――。マレーシア人の著者は、文化人類学を学ぶ交換留学生としてやって来たノルウェーでエイオルフと出会い、恋に落ちた。夫婦となった二人は深く愛し合い、日々のささやかなことも人生の一大事についても、何でも話し合う仲だった。ある朝、いつものように自転車で職場に向かったエイオルフが突然倒れ、そのまま帰らぬ人となる。最愛のパートナーを失った著者は、喪失の痛みのさなか、ふと参加したきのこ講座で、足下に広がるもうひとつの世界、きのこ王国に出会う。きのこたちの生態は、不可思議な魅力に満ち満ちていた。苔むす森でのきのこ狩りの効用と発見の喜び。きのこ愛好家間の奇妙な友情と不文律。専門家・鑑定士への「通過儀礼」。絶品きのこトガリアミガサタケ。悪名高いシャグマアミガサタケ。色・形・匂いの個性とその奥深さ。とっておきの、きのこレシピ。悲しみの心象風景をさまよう内面世界への旅と、驚きと神秘に満ちたきのこワンダーランドをめぐる旅をつづけ、魂の回復のときを迎える、再生の物語。約120種類のきのこが登場。
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this enchanting debut memoir, anthropologist Long tells of her life in Norway after the sudden death of her 54-year-old husband left her "alone in the world." A beginner's course in mushrooming was an unexpected life raft, leading her to find community and a sense of meaning while wandering the woods: "It was out in the open woodland, on moss-covered ground, that I stumbled on what I was searching for." Long depicts the bleak lows she felt while mourning ("I went willingly into inner exile"), as she went deeper into her study of mycology. Along the way, she relates debates among mushroomers such as ones regarding which fungi are actually toxic, which have simply fallen from favor in certain countries, and what are the best ways to cook mushrooms. It's clear that mycology gave her a path out of despair, and her passion for mushrooms is evident as she describes the many varieties that are "luminescent and can light up a forest path when darkness falls" and the ancient true morels, with their "scent that can arouse powerful longing even in those who have forgotten where it comes from." This unique tale of rebirth after loss doubles as a riveting foray into the world of mushrooming.
