Jun 25, 2022 | written by: Federica Massaro
An encounter between literature and nature. The column dedicated to books about the environment and sustainability
The Secret Network of Nature - Peter Wohlleben
Peter Wohlleben is the perfect son for Mother Nature: he worked as a forest ranger in Germany for over twenty years, and today he manages a forest of over three thousand acres. He writes to express the beauty that surrounds him, including to those who are not as fortunate as he is. Among the most beautiful chapters in this work are those in which he describes the animal species, myths and fables of the earth and the greenery we inhabit. This is a book that, from the writer's personal experience, takes on a universal quality, helping us perceive how we are children of this great wealth.
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The ecosystem is an immense reservoir of energy (...) Every creature has a meaning and a task, and nature is like the gear mechanism of a great clock.
When I Sing, Mountains Dance - Irene Solà
Irene Solà is a very young Spanish writer; her books are reminiscent of verse compositions and bring to life the delicate and sometimes moving side of nature as a refuge from the chaos of the world. In fact, this novel reads like a long poem, an ode to nature and life. The protagonists are women, men and children, animals, bad weather, the mushrooms of a village in the Pyrenees. The plot is captivating and unfolds slowly, interweaving natural elements with the feelings and stories of the main characters.
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Come, Mother, together we'll talk about the things that happen in the woods at night, the things that happen in the dead of night, and the lightning that incinerates the sky.
Greenwood - Micheal Christie
Michael Christie, one of Canada's best-known writers, has also been a carpenter, a great connoisseur of nature and its illustrious inhabitants: trees. Destined to be made into a film, his latest novel tells the story of Jacinda Greenwood, a nature guide who ignores everything about her own roots until the day she comes into possession of her grandmother's diary. A dense, captivating, evocative novel written in a fluid and irresistible style, perfect for those who love intrigue. A book that invites us to observe the natural world and imagine the story it wants to tell us, in silence.
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They stand. They reach. They climb. They thirst. They drop their leaves. They fall. You see, Jake? We make them human. With our verbs. But really, we shouldn't. Because they’re our betters. Our kings and queens. And they’re the closest thing to gods we have. In any case, Jacinda, you’re their equal.
Previous episodes
. Roots of words - Literature and Nature
. Roots of words – Spring reading
. Roots of Words - Women and nature
. Roots of Words – For Valentine’s Day
. Roots of words – Into the woods
. Roots of Words – The mountains are calling
