Notebooks from New Guinea: Field Notes of a Tropical Biologist

A rare and exhilarating combination of first-rank science and top-notch storytelling, this superb translation brings to an English-speaking audience for the first time writings that are remarkable in their richness, their wit, and their penetrating insight.

Vojtech Novotny is no ordinary scientist. A world-class researcher and a brilliant writer, he works not in a pristine lab but on location in one of the toughest regions of the world — not only is New Guinea a high-risk locale in terms of tropical diseases and venomous wildlife, but it is also one of the most lawless places on Earth, with a very high homicide rate. Moreover, Novotny works closely with the indigenous peoples — natives who still hunt food with spear and arrow — involving them in his research and profiting from their deep familiarity with this rugged landscape. As a result, he has many a fascinating tale to tell, and he is a marvelous storyteller. Indeed, this is an unusual and fascinating collection of almost one hundred brief vignettes, adventurous tales, and reflections that illuminate life in the rainforest, the workings of science, and the native peoples of New Guinea. The pieces are amusing, thoughtful, evocative, and sage. The short pieces are separated here and there by "intermezzi," in which Novotny recounts his many bouts of malaria — extraordinary short passages that strikingly capture the experience of jungle life. And placed, jewel-like, at key points in the text, are the extraordinary drawings of Benson Avea Bego, a self-taught Papuan artist from a remote village.

Ably translated by David Short, this delightfully engaging collection of notes and reflections brings to life — with warmth and wisdom — the place, the people, and the pursuit of knowledge deep in the jungles of New Guinea.

"Czech ecologist Novotny (Arthropods of Tropical Forests) recounts his decade living in New Guinea, 'a most diverse and extraordinary land,' home to six million people and 1,043 different languages. Focusing on the people and their way of living, little escapes Novotny's attention; he examines the base-13 number system, myths about dwarfs, the price of brides (£5,000), and other idiosyncrasies; their extended-family, communal living structure meant that New Guinea tourists in Australia were astounded to see homeless people sleeping on the streets. Occasional shockers can be in questionable taste-i.e., a flip description of cannibalism, practiced in many of New Guinea's cultures until 50 years ago: 'one might argue... against ideologies that view neighbors as canned meat on two legs, but eating the deceased was actually a highly civilized custom.' Fortunately, his excesses are balanced by genuine sympathy for people making the journey into a radically foreign, modern world, which in many ways (as Novotny illustrates) is equally improbable. 28 b&w illustrations." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Hailed by Edward O. Wilson as "one of the most amazing books I have ever read," this exhilarating volume offers a rare combination of first-rank science and top-notch storytelling. Vojtech Novotny, a world-class researcher and a brilliant writer, works on location in one of the toughest regions of the world--a high-risk locale rife with tropical diseases and venomous wildlife. Moreover, Novotny works closely with the indigenous peoples--natives who still hunt food with spear and arrow--involving them in his research and profiting from their deep familiarity with this rugged landscape. As a result, he has many a fascinating tale to tell, and he is a marvelous storyteller. Indeed, this is an unusual and fascinating collection of almost one hundred brief vignettes, adventurous tales, and reflections that illuminate the native culture and what the West can learn from it. Ably translated by David Short, this delightfully engaging book brings to life--with warmth and wisdom--the place, the people, and the pursuit of knowledge deep in the jungles of New Guinea.

This is a unique and delightfully engaging account by a leading tropical biologist of doing science at one of the last wild frontiers in the world. Vojtech Novotny is a highly respected Czech scientist. His widely cited work, of profound importance to ecology and evolution, is not done, like much modern science, in a lab full of gleaming apparatus. Instead, he chose as his 'laboratory' the remotest parts of Papua New Guinea, where he has established a research station. Supported by a team of Papuans whom he has trained up so that they can combine their wide and intimate knowledge of the plants and animals of their tropical forest with the knowledge of modern science, Novotny studies the ecological interactions of butterflies and plants.

Clearly this is no ordinary scientist. Combined with his intrepid courage (PNG is one of the most dangerous places on Earth, with a very high homicide rate), he is a shrewd observer of human nature. In the richly varied notes and reflections of this very individual volume are not only descriptions of natural history and scientific research in the rainforest, but accounts of the local peoples and their culture, the challenges of working across very different cultures, and amusing portraits of the antics of Western tourists, separated by a few 'intermezzi' - episodes when the author fought bouts of malaria.

Novotny is that rare combination of excellent scientist and superb storyteller. The faithful translations by David Short bring these notes and reflections on science, nature, and human beings to a wide audience, without any loss to their richness, warmth, humility, and wisdom. The volume is illustrated with beautiful drawings by a self-taught Papuan artist, Benson Avea Bego, who lives in a remote village.

Vojtech Novotny is Professor of Ecology at the University of South Bohemia and the Head of the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic. Novotny is currently directing the New Guinea Binatang Research Center, in Papua New Guinea, where an international team of scientists is studying the relationships between plants and insects in tropical rainforests.

David Short is Senior Teaching Fellow in Czech and Slovak at University College London. He is a noted teacher, interpreter, and translator of the Czech language.