Description:
What is nature? A philosopher of a certain bent, contrasting it with culture, its classically paired opposite, might answer that nature is the realm of being that happens independently of human consciousness. But humans, of course, are part of nature, too, and David Rothenberg finds room for us there in his journal Terra Nova. "Everything that connects humanity to the world that surrounds us brings the mind closer to nature," Rothenberg wrote in the inaugural issue. "Connections between humanity and nature are far more diverse, mysterious, and confusing than most ecological writing has been willing to admit." Gathering 16 of Rothenberg's favorite essays from the first 10 issues of the journal, The New Earth Reader marks an effort to reconcile the human and natural worlds. It includes Australian philosopher Val Plumwood's eye-narrowing memoir of being attacked by a crocodile, the title of which, "Being Prey," speaks volumes; Rick Bass's thoughtful travelogue "Romania"; Charles Bowden's "Tuna Country," a harrowing journey into the desert's dark side; Rothenberg's far-ranging conversation with the virtual-reality pioneer Jaron Lanier; and television producer Ted Perry's account of how his free adaptation of a translation of a Native American text became Chief Seattle's famous speech on the sanctity of the Earth--an inauthentic, but still often-quoted, touchstone of environmental thought. This is hardly the stuff of the usual nature anthology. But perhaps it should be, for Rothenberg and his contributors are working toward a larger, more encompassing view of nature, the environment, and nature writing itself. --Gregory McNamee
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