EMBRACE FEARLESSLY THE BURNING WORLD

An urgent final work from the award-wining author whose writing, fieldwork and mentorship inspired generations of writers and activists. An ardent steward of the land, fearless traveller and unrivalled observer of nature and culture, Barry Lopez died after a long illness on Christmas Day in 2020. The previous summer, a wildfire had consumed much of what was dear to him in his home 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of both pain and wonder, this remarkable collection of essays adds indelibly to Lopez's legacy, and includes previously unpublished works, some written in the months before his death.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 and California, reports from expeditions to study animals and sea life, recollections of travels to Antarctica and other extraordinary places on earth, and mediations 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 and in prose of searing candour, he reckons with the cycle of life, including 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 sounds to the important of being wholly present to the beauty and complexity of life.

Barry Lopez (1945-2020) was the author of various essay and story collections: Arctic Dreams, which received the National Book Award; Of Wolves and Men, a National Book Award finalist; and, most recently, Horizon, which was named a best book of the year by The New York Times, NPR and the Guardian. A frequent contributor to both American and foreign journals, Lopez was the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim, Lannan and National Science foundations and was honoured by numerous institutions for his literary, humanitarian and environmental work. He lived in Finn Rock, Oregon, with his wife, Debra Gwartney.