The Tree

Description

'The most original argument for wilderness preservation I have encountered' Washington Post In this series of moving recollections involving both his childhood and his work as a mature artist, John Fowles explains the impact of nature on his life and the dangers inherent in our traditional urge to categorise, to tame and ultimately to possess the landscape. This acquisitive drive leads to alienation and an antagonism to the apparent disorder and randomness of the natural world. For John Fowles the tree is the best analogue of prose fiction, symbolising the wild side of our psyche, and he stresses the importance in art of the unpredictable, the unaccountable and the intuitive. This fascinating text gives a unique insight into the author and offers the key to a true understanding of the inspiration for his work.

John Fowles was born in England in 1926 and educated at Bedford School and Oxford University. He won international recognition with his first published title. The Collector (1963) and was immediately acclaimed as an outstandingly innovative writer of exceptional imaginative power. This reputation was confirmed with the appearance of his subsequent works. John Fowles died in 2005.

"A text of unusual beauty and perception" Publishers Weekly "Magnificent... Mystical" Daily Telegraph "Gritty and entertaining" Sunday Telegraph "Fowles' language is strong, green, discursive, related throughout to his own life and memories" Vogue