A captivating natural science memoir, unravelling the many mysteries of the European eel and the author's complex relationship with his father.
'This is one of those special books . . . Even if it were only a book about eels, it would be wonderful.' - Sunday Times
'I never thought I would see myself in an eel, until I read Svensson's beautiful book, in which he anthropomorphizes eels and shows how mysterious they are, and how little we know about them. It's a beautiful book that makes you realize that the eel is our cousin - we are the eel, and the eel is us.' - Michaela Coel
'I can't recall us ever talking about anything other than eels and how to best catch them, down there by the stream. Actually, I can't remember us speaking at all. Maybe because we never did.'
The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is one of the strangest creatures nature ever created. Remarkably little is known about the eel, even today. Born as a tiny willow-leaf shaped larva in the Sargasso Sea, it travels on ocean currents toward the coasts of Europe - a journey of about four thousand miles that takes at least two years. Upon arrival, it transforms into a glass eel and then a yellow eel before wandering up into fresh water. It lives a solitary life, hiding from both light and science, for ten, twenty, fifty years, before migrating back to the sea in the autumn, morphing into a silver eel and swimming all the way back to the Sargasso Sea, where it breeds and dies.
And yet . . . There is still so much we don't know about eels. No human has ever seen eels reproduce; no one can give a complete account of the eel's metamorphoses or say why they are born and die in the Sargasso Sea. And now the eel is disappearing, and we don't know exactly why.
In The Gospel of the Eels, Patrik Svensson explores his ongoing fascination with this secretive fish, and the equally perplexing and often murky relationship he shared with his father, whose only passion in life was fishing for this obscure creature. Through the exploration of eels in literature and the history of science, as well as modern marine biology, we get to know this peculiar animal and, in turn, learn about the human condition, life and death, through nature writing at its very best.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
The best mysteries are those science hasn't yet cracked, and top of the list comes the sex life of eels. -- Melanie Reid * The Times * Extraordinary . . . Such is his skill that the echoes and parallels he finds never seem stretched. It's as if the eel's mysteriousness is snaking out, beyond its extraordinary life cycle and uncanny ability to confound scientists, and into the writing. * Observer * This beguiling book . . . completely won me over to these astonishing, mysterious creatures . . . Beautifully written, The Gospel of the Eels left me in awe of the animal. * Sunday Times 'Nature Books of the Year' * A gorgeously evocative blend of science, nature writing and family memoir * Guardian * What a joy! Patrick Svensson's sinuous weaving of natural history, philosophy, psychology and autobiography is as compelling and rewarding as a silver eel's return to the Sargasso Sea. I loved every moment. * Isabella Tree, author of Wilding * I'm still not sure I like eels, but I loved this book. * Sunday Times * In this lovely, thoughtful blend of natural science and memoir, Patrik Svensson elevates the European eel . . . to an almost mythical status . . . We must hope this marvellous book is not the eel's eulogy. * Mail on Sunday * Just as the eel glides between freshwater and salt, Svensson's book swims in the seas of both natural history and memoir. Svensson's father took the young Patrik eel fishing often, and their beautifully rendered nocturnal outings have the feel of occult ritual. * New York Times * Svensson's book, like its subject, is a strange beast: a creature of metamorphosis, a shape-shifter that moves among realms. It is a book of natural history, and a memoir about a son and his father. It is also an exploration of literature and religion and custom, and what it means to live in a world full of questions we can't always answer. * New Yorker * There's an underlying theme here that made me think science is about discovery, not always about perfect answers. * Forbes, 'Best Summer Reads For Those Stuck Inside Working Remotely' * Drawing from literature, science and his own studies, Svensson inspires readers to see eels in a whole new way. * Los Angeles Times, '21 new and classic books to keep you in touch with the natural world' *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Zielgruppe
Interest Age: From 18 years
Produkt-Hinweis
Maße
Höhe: 195 mm
Breite: 132 mm
Dicke: 22 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-5290-3070-9 (9781529030709)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Patrik Svensson (b. 1972) is an arts and culture journalist at Sydsvenskan newspaper. He lives with his family in Malmoe in southern Sweden. The Gospel of the Eels is his first book.
Agnes Broome is a literary translator and Preceptor in Scandinavian at Harvard University. With a PhD in Translation Studies, her translations include August Prize winners The Expedition by Bea Uusma and The Gospel of Eels by Patrik Svensson.
