Environmental Conservation & Protection of Plants & Wildlife, Zoology - General & Miscellaneous, Africa - Science & Medicine, Natural History - General & Miscellaneous

Shadows of Africa

Name: Shadows of Africa
Author: Peter Matthiessen
ISBN: 9781402878800

by Peter Matthiessen, Mary Frank (Illustrator)

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Overview

Some years ago, when artist Mary Frank first met writer Peter Matthiessen, she told him that his book The Snow Leopard had inspired a drawing of that mythical animal. Not long thereafter, he stopped by her studio to see the drawing and was so stunned by her work that he proposed they do a book together - a kind of "bestiary" using her many strong drawings of birds and animals, not as illustrations, but in loose association with the evocation of wild creatures in his journals. Over the years the idea was given urgency by the rapid decline of wildlife everywhere. They decided to concentrate on Africa, where the great natural populations have been reduced drastically during the thirty years, from 1961 to 1991, that Matthiessen has traveled on that continent. The resulting book is a lyrical and inspiring collection of words and images that beautifully conveys the nature of animals in the African wild. Through Matthiessen's essays, drawn from his three previous books on Africa as well as from material never before published in book form, we attain a fresh perception of elephants, white rhinos, gorillas, and other endangered creatures. Mary Frank's evocative images - 71 in all, including 23 in color - form a poignant counterpoint to Matthiessen's narrative. Peter Matthiessen and Mary Frank have created a work of great power and beauty, one that is certain to move readers to a new appreciation of African wildlife. But it is hoped that this book will do still more, by drawing attention and support to the protection of wild animals the world over. To further that aim, the authors are donating a portion of their earnings from this book to Wildlife Conservation International, an arm of the New York Zoological Society.

Synopsis

Some years ago, when artist Mary Frank first met writer Peter Matthiessen, she told him that his book The Snow Leopard had inspired a drawing of that mythical animal. Not long thereafter, he stopped by her studio to see the drawing and was so stunned by her work that he proposed they do a book together - a kind of bestiary using her many strong drawings of birds and animals, not as illustrations, but in loose association with the evocation of wild creatures in his journals. Over the years the idea was given urgency by the rapid decline of wildlife everywhere. They decided to concentrate on Africa, where the great natural populations have been reduced drastically during the thirty years, from 1961 to 1991, that Matthiessen has traveled on that continent. The resulting book is a lyrical and inspiring collection of words and images that beautifully conveys the nature of animals in the African wild. Through Matthiessen's essays, drawn from his three previous books on Africa as well as from material never before published in book form, we attain a fresh perception of elephants, white rhinos, gorillas, and other endangered creatures. Mary Frank's evocative images - 71 in all, including 23 in color - form a poignant counterpoint to Matthiessen's narrative. Peter Matthiessen and Mary Frank have created a work of great power and beauty, one that is certain to move readers to a new appreciation of African wildlife. But it is hoped that this book will do still more, by drawing attention and support to the protection of wild animals the world over. To further that aim, the authors are donating a portion of their earnings from this book to Wildlife Conservation International, an arm of the New York Zoological Society.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Noted naturalist Matthiessen (African Silences) and Frank, a versatile artist who creates drawings, paintings and sculptures, team up for an unusual and rich book. Essays about Africa, some of them drawn from Matthiessen's previous books, are combined with Frank's 71 evocative portrayals of wildlife. Matthiessen's work, written between 1961 and 1986, covers trips from South Sudan to Zaire; his eye is keen, his knowledge deep, his prose sparkling. The art, meant to serve as a partner to the text rather than illustrate it, may strike readers as disassociated. Frank's work, both in color and in black-and-white, transcends postcard visions. Notable are a charcoal study of a baby elephant beneath its mother's legs, a simple but elegant line drawing of massive rhinos, a leopard arrestingly outlined in red and a skeletal buck-presented virtually as an Xray-in flight. Matthiessen concludes with a plea for conservation; accordingly, a portion of the authors' earnings will be donated to wildlife proteeton. (Oct.)

Booknews

A collection of Matthiessen's writing accompanied by the highly impressionistic drawings Frank was inspired to make by that writing. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)