Arctic Dreams: Award-Winning Book

Un libro meraviglioso, che oltre a far viaggiare l’immaginazione, è pieno di interessanti nozioni scientifiche sul tema esplorazione artica. Se si vogliono scoprire le varie specie di animali, soprattutto i volatili, meglio armarsi di traduttore o ricerca per immagini su internet

Fabulous book, brings alive the Arctic landscape and the life forms that call it home in a way that will leave you highly affected. I am about half way through it, every chapter is just so beautiful – a tour-de-force of literary non-fiction by a master who knows what he is writing about intimately. Extraordinarily granular and detailed at one level, deeply philosophical and existential at another. What’s amazing is both are equally compelling. I would never have thought that I would enjoy reading about the physiology and habits of a musk ox, narwhals or polar bear written about it in such detail, but the way he weaves in these details with elements of history and ruminations on the broader ecosystem, and what the various interactions means to the people living there – the natives, the explorers, the modern migrants, makes you want to read it slowly, savouring each line and paragraph. Reading the book, you can literally feel the Arctic in your bones.

“Arctic Dreams” was recommended to me by a friend before I went on an Alaskan adventure a few years ago. This book expanded my vision of nature, and turned me on to the exquisite writing of Barry Lopez, who won the 1986 National Book Award for this classic work on the wild regions of the far north. “Arctic Dreams” is an extraordinary celebration of Arctic life and landscape which takes the reader on a journey to places rarely visited by man. Lopez’ narrative does have a dreamlike quality, not only in its descriptions of nature at its most surreal, but in the absolute beauty of the writing itself. He does indeed capture the foreign reality of Arctic life, and death, with the loving care of an artist who places each brushstroke carefully on a canvas, bent on bringing the vision before him to others.
Mr. Lopez made a number of extended trips to Siberia, Greenland, and northern Canada, including Baffin Island, to observe the flora and fauna of the region – polar bears, killer whales, caribou, narwhals – as well as the spectacular Arctic landscape. He experienced eerie encounters with the aurora borealis, massive migrating icebergs, solar and lunar light, halos and coronas. And he experienced both the potential for catastrophic danger and the remarkable beauty that the Arctic land and sea offers. “Spring storms can sweep hundreds of thousands of helpless infant harp seals into the sea” – juxtaposed with, “A tiny flower blooms in a field of snow touched by the sun’s benevolent light.” Through Mr. Lopez’ eyes the breathtaking experience of the Arctic landscape and the people who inhabit it become palpably real. I was particularly moved by his intimate and compassionate descriptions of the indigenous people of this region, who so aptly illustrate how mankind is capable of living in harmony with his surroundings. Lopez’ prose and his conclusions make the strongest argument possible to work for the ecological health of our planet, for the sake of life itself, and for the health of our imagination and sense of wonder at the magnificent.
As mankind grows closer to conquering the earth’s last frontiers, the issue of exploitation and encroachment becomes greater. For anyone who advocates preserving the few remaining wild areas on our planet, “Arctic Dreams” is a welcome gift and a source of motivation. It also provides an extraordinary read, and, perhaps, an awakening to those who have shown little interest in earth’s most mysterious places.
This is a magical book that will enchant and awe the reader. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Bravo, Barry Lopez!
JANA

Barry Lopez’s extended meditation in print on the Arctic defies easy categorization. Part of the book is the author’s fascinating narrative of his own time in the Arctic and his encounters with Eskimos and with the unique wildlife that live and thrive in the Arctic. Another portion of the narrative is a loose-jointed but griping history of European exploration of the Arctic. Not least, the author ponders the meaning of the Arctic for a modern world.

The book is a good read. This former Alaska resident found large portions to be a page-turning narrative. It would be hard not to admire the author’s open-minded approach to what he experiences. He really does seem to have grasped what enabled the Eskimos to survive and thrive in such a challenging environment.

That said, the narrative is now a bit dated. The Alaska natives so valued by the author are voting with their feet to join the modern world. Alaska villages have been de-populating for years as the young folks head for the bright lights and the big towns. The author’s characterization of the work force on the North Slope seems unfair and inaccurate based on this reviewer’s experiences. At book’s end, it is unclear where the author thinks we should be going, and perhaps that uncertainty was intentional. Recommended.