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Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape
by Barry Holstun Lopez

Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape Cover

Awards

Winner of the 1986 National Book Award.
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Powells.com Staff Pick

"Barry Lopez won the 1986 National Book Award for Arctic Dreams. A more accurate test, though, for the true quality of a book is how well it wears over time. And though it may yet be too soon to conclude, Arctic Dreams appears to have taken its place as the classic work on the wild regions of the far north. To write this book, Lopez made a number of extended trips to northern Canada to observe the flora and fauna of the region — polar bears, killer whales, caribou, narwhals — as well as the spectacular Arctic landscape — eerie encounters with the aurora borealis, massive migrating icebergs, etc. His descriptions not only bring the reader as close as a book can to a palpable experience of the landscape, but also to a sense of why this region is so important, not only for the ecological health of the planet, but also for the imaginative health of humankind. His evocation of the way of life of the indigenous Arctic peoples is particularly moving, illustrating how human beings are capable of living in harmony with their environment, are capable of creating honorable societies. This is a very important book by one of our greatest writers, one that will only grow in importance as we continue to encroach upon and exploit the few remaining wild areas on our planet."
Recommended by Jo

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Barry Lopez's National Book Award-winning classic study of the Far North is widely considered his masterpiece.

Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure world-its terrain, its wildlife, its history of Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on their icy shores. But what turns this marvelous work of natural history into a breathtaking study of profound originality is his unique meditation on how the landscape can shape our imagination, desires, and dreams. Its prose as hauntingly pure as the land it describes, Arctic Dreams is nothing less than an indelible classic of modern literature.

Review:

"Jubilant....Barry Lopez lavishes his discoveries into a portfolio of delights." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Wonderfully informed and evocative....Keen observation given shape with language that is deft and vivid." Chicago Tribune

Review:

"Rich, abundant, vigorously composed." The Boston Globe

Review:

"[It is the earth's] synchronous wealth of life — of all life — that Barry Lopez is celebrating in his jubilant new book. Among contemporary nature writers Mr. Lopez is especially a rhapsodist, and what he has done in this passionate paean to the Arctic and its cycles of light and darkness, its species of ice, its creatures and waters, is to present a whole series of raptures and riffs on the subject of musk oxen, ivory gulls, white foxes, polar bears, icebergs and sea currents....Part-rhapsody, part-history, it is a bifurcated book,and displays a magnificently nonchalant assurance at times (as when he says at one point that Eskimos are not 'errorless in the eyes of God'). As in a labor of love, he couldn't really let go of it; he has added a separate author's note, preface and prologue, and filled it with footnotes that swing among his memories and afterthoughts." New York Times Book Review

Review:

"This is one of the finest books ever written about the Far North, warmly appreciative and understanding of the natural forces that shape life in an austere landscape....Today, he contends, an imaginative, emotional approach to the Arctic is as important as a rational, scientific one. Lopez has written a wonderful, compelling defense of the Arctic wilderness." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"For Lopez, how the Arctic is comprehended will determine its fate. Whether its land, peoples, and animals are honored or vitiated will depend upon the working out of this metaphorical analogy between mind and landscape. Highly recommended for most collections." Library Journal
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About the Author

Barry Lopez is the author of six works of nonfiction and eight works of fiction. His writing appears regularly in Harper's, The Paris Review, DoubleTake, and The Georgia Review. He is the recipient of a National Book Award, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and other honors. He lives in western Oregon.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375727481
Subtitle:
Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape
Author:
Lopez, Barry
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Location:
New York
Subject:
Description and travel
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
Arctic regions
Subject:
Natural history
Subject:
NATURE / Essays
Edition Description:
1st Vintage Books ed.
Series:
Vintage
Series Volume:
module A-8
Publication Date:
October 2001
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
496
Dimensions:
8.00x5.22x1.13 in. .90 lbs.
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