by Cris Trautner on December 07, 2011
If you are a fan of the writings of Loren Eiseley, the noted nature writer, philosopher, and anthropologist, then you may enjoy the new book coming out this spring from the University of Nebraska Press, Artifacts and Illuminations: Critical Essays on Loren Eiseley. From the book's description:
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Eiseley was a professor of anthropology and a prolific writer and poet who worked to bring an understanding of science to the general public, incorporating religion, philosophy, and science into his explorations of the human mind and the passage of time.
As a writer who bridged the sciences and the humanities, Eiseley is a challenge for scholars locked into rigid discplinary boundaries. "Artifacts and Illuminations," the first full-length collection of critical essays on the writing of Eiseley, situates his work in the genres of creative nonfiction and nature writing. The contributing scholars apply a variety of critical approaches, including ecocriticism and place-oriented studies ranging across prairie, urban, and international contexts. Contributors explore such diverse topics as Eiseley's use of anthropomorphism and Jungian concepts and examine how his work was informed by synecdoche. Long overdue, this collection demonstrates Eiseley's continuing relevance as both a skilled literary craftsman and a profound thinker about the human place in the natural world.
Having recently seen a presentation on the book, I'm very interested in reading this scholarly examination of Eiseley the writer.
Nebraska Book Source also carries other titles either by or related to Eiseley. Take a look under the Science & Nature or the Biography & Autobiography collections—or search for "Eiseley" in our search box.