The delightful account of how a close connection with nature brought joy to a woman incapacitated through illness.
While an illness keeps her bedridden, Elisabeth Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence in a terrarium alongside her bed. She enters the rhythm of life of this mysterious creature, and comes to a greater understanding of her own confined place in the world. In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, she shares the inspiring and intimate story of her close encounter with Neohelix albolabris - a common woodland snail.
Intrigued by the snail's world - from its strange anatomy to its mysterious courtship activities - she becomes a fascinated and amused observer of the snail's curious life. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is an affirmation of the healing power of nature, revealing how much of the world we miss in our busy daily lives, and how truly magical it is.
A remarkable journey of survival and resilience, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating shows how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence and deepen our appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.
Autorentext
Elisabeth Tova Bailey's essays and short stories have been published in the Missouri Review, Northwest Review and the Sycamore Review. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal (US) and the William Saroyan International Prize for Nonfiction, she has also received several Pushcart Prize nominations and the essay on which this book is based received a Notable Essay Listing in Best American Essays. She lives in Maine, US.
Zusammenfassung
While an illness keeps her bedridden, Elisabeth Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence in a terrarium alongside her bed. She enters the rhythm of life of this mysterious creature, and comes to a greater understanding of her own confined place in the world. In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, she shares the inspiring and intimate story of her close encounter with Neohelix albolabris a common woodland snail. Intrigued by the snail's world from its strange anatomy to its mysterious courtship activities; she becomes a fascinated and amused observer of the snail's curious life. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is an affirmation of the healing power of nature, revealing how much of the world we miss in our busy daily lives, and how truly magical it is. A remarkable journey of survival and resilience, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating shows how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence and deepen our appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.
Inhalt
Prologue
Part I - The Violet-Pot Adventures
Field Violets
Discovery
Explorations
Part II - A Green Kingdom
The Forest Floor
Life in a Microcosm
Time and Territory
Part III - Juxtapositions
Thousands of Teeth
Telescopic Tentacles
Marvellous Spirals
Secret Recipes
Part IV - The Cultural Life
Colonies of Hermits
Midnight Leap
A Snail's Thoughts
Deep Sleep
Part V - Love and Mystery
Cryptic Life
Affairs of a Snail
Bereft
Offspring
Part VI - Familiar Territory
Release
Winter Snail
Spring Rain
Night Stars
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Appendix: Terraria
Selected Sources