Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World
Essays
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A “lyrical” (Chicago Tribune) final work of nonfiction from the National Book Award–winning author of Arctic Dreams and Horizon, a literary icon whose writing, fieldwork, and mentorship inspired generations of writers and activists.
“Mesmerizing . . . a master observer . . . whose insight and moral clarity have earned comparisons to Henry David Thoreau.”—The Wall Street Journal
ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Outside
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times
An ardent steward of the land, fearless traveler, and unrivaled observer of nature and culture, Barry Lopez died after a long illness on Christmas Day 2020. The previous summer, a wildfire had consumed much of what was dear to him in his home place and the community around it—a tragic reminder of the climate change of which he’d long warned.
At once a cri de coeur and a memoir of both pain and wonder, this remarkable collection of essays adds indelibly to Lopez’s legacy, and includes previously unpublished works, some written in the months before his death. They unspool memories both personal and political, among them tender, sometimes painful stories of his childhood in New York City and California, reports from expeditions to study animals and sea life, recollections of travels to Antarctica and other extraordinary places on earth, and meditations on finding oneself amid vast, dramatic landscapes. He reflects on those who taught him, including Indigenous elders and scientific mentors who sharpened his eye for the natural world. We witness poignant returns from his travels to the sanctuary of his Oregon backyard, adjacent to the McKenzie River. And in prose of searing candor, he reckons with the cycle of life, including his own, and—as he has done throughout his career—with the dangers the earth and its people are facing.
With an introduction by Rebecca Solnit that speaks to Lopez’s keen attention to the world, including its spiritual dimensions, Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World opens our minds and souls to the importance of being wholly present for the beauty and complexity of life.
“This posthumously published collection of essays by nature writer Barry Lopez reveals an exceptional life and mind . . . While certainly a testament to his legacy and an ephemeral reprieve from his death in 2020, this book is more than a memorial: it offers a clear-eyed praxis of hope in what Lopez calls this ‘Era of Emergencies.’”—Scientific American
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Memoir and nature writing come together in this lyrical collection from National Book Award winner Lopez (Horizon). As Lopez (1945–2020) writes of his encounters with wildlife, he pulls back to comment on larger environmental and emotional concerns. "On Location" considers an unusual type of Pacific walrus that lives alone and hunts "other marine mammals smaller than itself," and muses on climate disruption: "To survive what's headed our way... we will need to trust each other, because today, it's as if every safe place has melted into the sameness of water. We are searching for the boats we forgot to build." "Residence," meanwhile, is an ode to the flora and fauna of his home outside of Santa Fe. The most memorable sections deal with his victimization, beginning when he was six and continuing for more than five years, by a pedophile doctor and family friend; that torment was exacerbated by Lopez's mother's defenses of the man and a general refusal to believe a doctor could abuse his power. "I thought of myself as a man walking around with shrapnel sealed in his flesh, and I wanted to get the fragments out," Lopez writes in "Sliver of Sky." Fans and newcomers alike will be enlightened by these roving explorations.
Customer Reviews
Grim
Lopez’s final book is unapologetically unpleasant. No message of any hope really. The message may freeze you and make you throw up your hands.