Mountains and Desire
Climbing vs. The End of the World
Published on 11. May 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
120 pages
978-1-912248-93-3 (ISBN)
Description
In 1923, a reporter asked George Mallory why he wanted to summit Mount Everest. "Because it's there".
Today the question "why do this?" is included in nearly every mountaineering story or interview. Meanwhile, interest in climbing is steadily on the rise, from commercial mountaineering and climbing walls in university gyms and corporate workplaces to the flood of spectacular climbing imagery in advertising, cinema, and social media. Climbing has become the theater for imagining limits-of the human body and of the planet- and the nature of desire, motivation, and #goals.
Covering the degradation of Everest, the banning of
climbing on Australia's Uluru, UNESCO's decision to name alpinism an
Intangible Cultural Heritage, the sudden death of Ueli
Steck, and the commercial and critical success of Free Solo, Mountains and Desire chases after what remains of this pursuit - marred by its colonial history, coopted by nationalistic chauvinism, ableism, and the capitalist compulsion to unlimited growth - for both climbers and their fans.
Today the question "why do this?" is included in nearly every mountaineering story or interview. Meanwhile, interest in climbing is steadily on the rise, from commercial mountaineering and climbing walls in university gyms and corporate workplaces to the flood of spectacular climbing imagery in advertising, cinema, and social media. Climbing has become the theater for imagining limits-of the human body and of the planet- and the nature of desire, motivation, and #goals.
Covering the degradation of Everest, the banning of
climbing on Australia's Uluru, UNESCO's decision to name alpinism an
Intangible Cultural Heritage, the sudden death of Ueli
Steck, and the commercial and critical success of Free Solo, Mountains and Desire chases after what remains of this pursuit - marred by its colonial history, coopted by nationalistic chauvinism, ableism, and the capitalist compulsion to unlimited growth - for both climbers and their fans.
Reviews / Votes
"In this beautiful book, Margret Grebowicz examines the many meanings of mountaineering, then and now: what these meanings tell us about ourselves, and what they tell us about mountains as well." "A philosophical speed-climb, a topo map of our new Terra Incognita. I finished it grateful for a new sense of clarity." "A treasure trove of insights exploring and critiquing the idea of climbing - upward pursuit -- in all its forms. Generous, fascinating, and written in sharp and lucid prose, Mountains and Desire illuminates an intoxicating and dangerous obsession through a startling range of material." "A fascinating attempt to answer the eternal question - why are you going up there? - for a new century. It will spur many to think more deeply." "Offers a timely appraisal of our relationship with high places."More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Watkins Media Limited
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
152 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-912248-93-3 (9781912248933)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2021
Repeater Books
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Margret Grebowicz explores the cultural aspects of environmental problems and solutions in her writing and public speaking. She is the author of Whale Song, The National Park to Come, and Why Internet Porn Matters, and co-author of Beyond the Cyborg: Adventures with Donna Haraway. She has worked as a professional jazz vocalist in New York City and a philosophy professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, Goucher College in Baltimore, and the University of Tyumen, Russia.