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A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson
Sigurd Olson (1899-1982) was acknowledged during his lifetime as a leader of the American environmental movement, an emblematic figure for a generation of activists. A Wilderness Within is the award-winning biography of this writer, teacher, and activist who was a harbinger of the raising of America's ecological consciousness.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
David J. Backes
6 books6 followersDavid J. Backes is author of A Wilderness Within, the national award-winning biography of famed naturalist / author /environmental leader Sigurd F. Olson. He has produced three other titles in the Olson series and two earlier books. Listening Point is his first novel. David's lifelong connection to nature began when he was just two years old and heard the haunting cry of gulls over the Gulf of Mexico. Family trips to national parks and other wild places in the U.S. and Canada, and frequent visits to his county park on the shore of Lake Michigan filled him with awe and wonder.
In 1963 his family discovered Ely, Minnesota, and the canoe country at its doorstep. That experience shaped his life. Over many years and visits, and one year working as a reporter for the Ely Echo newspaper, David came to discover not only a wilderness that stirred his soul, but a direction in life. That direction eventually led to Sigurd Olson, who personally encouraged David at a time when he most needed it. He went back to school and earned a doctoral degree in environmental communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then spent a career as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He loved teaching, but is a writer at heart, so these days you will find him most often in the little writing room at his home in southeast Wisconsin or soaking up inspiration along the shore of Lake Michigan.
In 1963 his family discovered Ely, Minnesota, and the canoe country at its doorstep. That experience shaped his life. Over many years and visits, and one year working as a reporter for the Ely Echo newspaper, David came to discover not only a wilderness that stirred his soul, but a direction in life. That direction eventually led to Sigurd Olson, who personally encouraged David at a time when he most needed it. He went back to school and earned a doctoral degree in environmental communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then spent a career as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He loved teaching, but is a writer at heart, so these days you will find him most often in the little writing room at his home in southeast Wisconsin or soaking up inspiration along the shore of Lake Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 29, 2020
No matter what I write here I doubt I can convey just how much I enjoyed this biography. I thought I knew Sigurd Olson before I read the book because I have read all his published books, many of them several times. We were guests of Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson and at least three occasions prior to or just following our canoe trips into the BWCA and Quetico. I also corresponded with him on a few occasions. The life portrayed in this thoroughly researched book not only captured the life of the Sigurd I knew, but went so much deeper.
The one theme in the book that most surprised me was Sigurd’s deep longing for recognition and his obsession with writing as the path that would lead there. Sigurd’s long, heart-breaking struggle before his eventual success in writing is something that I had not understood. I knew that he had first published hunting and wilderness adventure stories and I had read several of these, thinking that they were unremarkable but had no idea of how much of this writing was rejected by publishers. I also did not know that this drive to write was born in part from his deep dissatisfaction with his careers in education and conservation.
The second revelation for me was the depth of his involvement with the conservation and national parks movement. I was aware of his work to seek wilderness status for the BWCA, but I did not realize how long and deep was his work throughout North America in wilderness protection. Nor did I know that he had worked closely with such icons of the ecology and wilderness movements as Aldo Leopold and Bob Marshall, and with Canadian and several United States Federal administrations.
In my reading of Sigurd I became aware of his deep spirituality and his articulation of the importance of wildness to the souls of human beings. I knew that he was best known for his interpretation of the wilderness experience, and this was what first attracted me to his writing. As I reread Open Horizons this past year, I began to fully appreciate all Olson had so tell us about God’s presence in wilderness. This biography develops this theme thoroughly by exploring Sigurd’s early religious upbringing, the philosophies and religious texts he read that influenced him and tracing the spiritual elements throughout his writing. In short, this text acknowledges Aldo Leopold with developing the wilderness ethic, but credits Olson for taking it further into a wilderness aesthetic. The great love I have for Olson’s writing is rooted in this aesthetic and I was thrilled to see it so thoroughly documented.
This biography’s real power is in bringing Sigurd Olson to life, going beyond the myth to reveal the man in all his failings, frustrations and greatness.
The one theme in the book that most surprised me was Sigurd’s deep longing for recognition and his obsession with writing as the path that would lead there. Sigurd’s long, heart-breaking struggle before his eventual success in writing is something that I had not understood. I knew that he had first published hunting and wilderness adventure stories and I had read several of these, thinking that they were unremarkable but had no idea of how much of this writing was rejected by publishers. I also did not know that this drive to write was born in part from his deep dissatisfaction with his careers in education and conservation.
The second revelation for me was the depth of his involvement with the conservation and national parks movement. I was aware of his work to seek wilderness status for the BWCA, but I did not realize how long and deep was his work throughout North America in wilderness protection. Nor did I know that he had worked closely with such icons of the ecology and wilderness movements as Aldo Leopold and Bob Marshall, and with Canadian and several United States Federal administrations.
In my reading of Sigurd I became aware of his deep spirituality and his articulation of the importance of wildness to the souls of human beings. I knew that he was best known for his interpretation of the wilderness experience, and this was what first attracted me to his writing. As I reread Open Horizons this past year, I began to fully appreciate all Olson had so tell us about God’s presence in wilderness. This biography develops this theme thoroughly by exploring Sigurd’s early religious upbringing, the philosophies and religious texts he read that influenced him and tracing the spiritual elements throughout his writing. In short, this text acknowledges Aldo Leopold with developing the wilderness ethic, but credits Olson for taking it further into a wilderness aesthetic. The great love I have for Olson’s writing is rooted in this aesthetic and I was thrilled to see it so thoroughly documented.
This biography’s real power is in bringing Sigurd Olson to life, going beyond the myth to reveal the man in all his failings, frustrations and greatness.
April 9, 2020
Wilderness Within by David Backes is a biography of the Minnesotan Sigurd F. Olson.
Olson was a leader of the American environmental movement, whose work was a source of inspiration for many generations of activists. The author uses resources from Sigurd’s wife, his journals, published works, relatives, and friends to give us a detailed timeline of Sigurd Olson’s life, from birth to death. As a reader you will truly get to know Sigurd Olson as a teacher, statesman, activist, writer, and perhaps most of all, as a man.
Sigurd Olson was born on April 4, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois to Swedish immigrant parents. As a child he spent much of his time fishing, trapping, hunting, and all around reveling in the outdoors. This marked the beginning of a man who would spend his life writing about and fighting for the protection of wilderness everywhere. On August 8, 1921 Olson married Elizabeth Uhrenholdt. They would have two children together, and she would remain his staunchest supporter. Doing so must not have always been easy though. One common theme throughout the book is Olson’s struggle to make his writing career possible. All his life Sigurd Olson was on a search to find a job that would bring him happiness, yet give him time to write. He considered being a missionary, taught high school geology and biology, became a guide and co-owner of a Boundary Waters outfitting company, tried his hand as an ecologist, was a teacher at Ely Junior College, and would later become it’s dean. In 1947 he resigned from his position as Dean, to pursue a career as a writer full time.
Olson went on to publish nine books, and write countless magazine articles, short stories, and essays, many of which were rejected by publishers. Each of his writings shared a common theme; the wilderness, many advocated for its protection, others were a public outrage against its destruction, and some simply spoke of the pure, raw beauty of the outdoors. He became a prominent leader of conservation groups in the U.S, going on to be President of the National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society, was a part of the National Park Service Advisory Board, helped create the National and Provincial Parks Association, and would serve as a consultant for Time Life Books, Reader’s Digest Books, alnd the National Geographic Society.
His roles in these organizations led him to become a key figure in numerous conservation battles. The BWCA, Quetico, and Superior National Forest that we know today may not have existed without him. Olson led many successful fights against the construction of dams, reservoirs, roads, resorts and power lines in these wild places. Furthermore, he was instrumental in the campaign to save Dinosaur National Monument from a dam, and nearly single handedly created Voyageur National Park. He would even have an elementary school and environmental institute named in his honor. On January 13, 1982, he suffered a heart attack while out snowshoeing, at the age of 83, his love for adventure and the outdoors as strong as ever. The last sentence he wrote was, “A New Adventure is coming up, and I’m sure it will be a good one.” His work made him a wilderness icon, and his legacy continues to live on in his writing today.
The excerpt below portrays just how exceptional a man Sigurd Olson was:
“What separates Sigurd Olson from most disciple producers was his gentleness and warmth, which made him a master of diplomacy and drew affection from all quarters. George Marshall, who served as president of both the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club, summed it up in six words: “He made wilderness and life sing.” Such affection goes a long way toward explaining why Olson is the only person to have received the highest honors of four leading citizen organizations that focus on the nation’s public lands: the Izaak Walton League, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society.”
I found Wilderness Within to be a very well written biography. The author provides the reader with a thorough account of all his adventures and experiences. Furthermore, he is meticulous in his inclusion of every journal entry, letter, and quote that may aid in the further understanding of Olson’s life. This gave the reader a small window into Olson’s mind, and provided grounds for the author to speculate on the thoughts and motives behind his actions. One other thing I really liked about this book is the extensive backstories it gives on significant people and events in Sigurd’s life. With the knowledge of their historical importance, the reader is able to greater understand the impact Sigurd Olson had on the history of conservation.
Though many aspects of the book gave much to be admired, there were a few drawbacks for me. The main thing I didn’t like was the lack of accessibility of the book to all audiences. The book was a little too long for me, and felt rather dense and wordy. Those who wanted to learn more about Sigurd Olson, but not necessarily spend hours doing so, would likely be put off by its length. The author would also frequently use fancy vocabulary words and scientific jargon that made the book harder to comprehend. As for any offensive content in the book, the only thing would be the author’s discussion of Sigurd Olson’s religious beliefs, which don’t conform to any one religion, but seem to have formed from a wide variety of religions and philosophies. This unconventional view of God may be upsetting to some people. Apart from that, the book seems free of offensive content.
The main takeaway I got from this book is that success hardly ever comes easy. Sigurd Olson spent a lot of his life disheartened and dissatisfied with how his life was going. It was a long, bumpy road to success for him. His writing didn’t come easy to him, it required grueling work that more often than not ended with rejection from publishers. Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration” really rang true in this book. I had known this, to a certain degree, but after reading this book the full meaning and truth of it really sank in. The following excerpt from the book strongly illustrates this.
“He had felt trapped in an unfulfilling career, stuck in a community full of people who could not relate to him intellectually, and had sealed off his deepest beliefs, thoughts, and fears from his own family. Succumbing to periods of despair, he had bewildered his life and damaged his health. He could not explain these things. He had not wanted to make life hard for Elizabeth or for their children or for himself. His dream went beyond want; it was a fire burning within him, a consuming flame that had the potential to fulfill or destroy him. Somehow, despite the many rejections, despite the self-torture-despite the genuinely long odds of succeeding as a writer of essays-he had held fast to his dream, and had triumphed.”
Olson was a leader of the American environmental movement, whose work was a source of inspiration for many generations of activists. The author uses resources from Sigurd’s wife, his journals, published works, relatives, and friends to give us a detailed timeline of Sigurd Olson’s life, from birth to death. As a reader you will truly get to know Sigurd Olson as a teacher, statesman, activist, writer, and perhaps most of all, as a man.
Sigurd Olson was born on April 4, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois to Swedish immigrant parents. As a child he spent much of his time fishing, trapping, hunting, and all around reveling in the outdoors. This marked the beginning of a man who would spend his life writing about and fighting for the protection of wilderness everywhere. On August 8, 1921 Olson married Elizabeth Uhrenholdt. They would have two children together, and she would remain his staunchest supporter. Doing so must not have always been easy though. One common theme throughout the book is Olson’s struggle to make his writing career possible. All his life Sigurd Olson was on a search to find a job that would bring him happiness, yet give him time to write. He considered being a missionary, taught high school geology and biology, became a guide and co-owner of a Boundary Waters outfitting company, tried his hand as an ecologist, was a teacher at Ely Junior College, and would later become it’s dean. In 1947 he resigned from his position as Dean, to pursue a career as a writer full time.
Olson went on to publish nine books, and write countless magazine articles, short stories, and essays, many of which were rejected by publishers. Each of his writings shared a common theme; the wilderness, many advocated for its protection, others were a public outrage against its destruction, and some simply spoke of the pure, raw beauty of the outdoors. He became a prominent leader of conservation groups in the U.S, going on to be President of the National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society, was a part of the National Park Service Advisory Board, helped create the National and Provincial Parks Association, and would serve as a consultant for Time Life Books, Reader’s Digest Books, alnd the National Geographic Society.
His roles in these organizations led him to become a key figure in numerous conservation battles. The BWCA, Quetico, and Superior National Forest that we know today may not have existed without him. Olson led many successful fights against the construction of dams, reservoirs, roads, resorts and power lines in these wild places. Furthermore, he was instrumental in the campaign to save Dinosaur National Monument from a dam, and nearly single handedly created Voyageur National Park. He would even have an elementary school and environmental institute named in his honor. On January 13, 1982, he suffered a heart attack while out snowshoeing, at the age of 83, his love for adventure and the outdoors as strong as ever. The last sentence he wrote was, “A New Adventure is coming up, and I’m sure it will be a good one.” His work made him a wilderness icon, and his legacy continues to live on in his writing today.
The excerpt below portrays just how exceptional a man Sigurd Olson was:
“What separates Sigurd Olson from most disciple producers was his gentleness and warmth, which made him a master of diplomacy and drew affection from all quarters. George Marshall, who served as president of both the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club, summed it up in six words: “He made wilderness and life sing.” Such affection goes a long way toward explaining why Olson is the only person to have received the highest honors of four leading citizen organizations that focus on the nation’s public lands: the Izaak Walton League, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society.”
I found Wilderness Within to be a very well written biography. The author provides the reader with a thorough account of all his adventures and experiences. Furthermore, he is meticulous in his inclusion of every journal entry, letter, and quote that may aid in the further understanding of Olson’s life. This gave the reader a small window into Olson’s mind, and provided grounds for the author to speculate on the thoughts and motives behind his actions. One other thing I really liked about this book is the extensive backstories it gives on significant people and events in Sigurd’s life. With the knowledge of their historical importance, the reader is able to greater understand the impact Sigurd Olson had on the history of conservation.
Though many aspects of the book gave much to be admired, there were a few drawbacks for me. The main thing I didn’t like was the lack of accessibility of the book to all audiences. The book was a little too long for me, and felt rather dense and wordy. Those who wanted to learn more about Sigurd Olson, but not necessarily spend hours doing so, would likely be put off by its length. The author would also frequently use fancy vocabulary words and scientific jargon that made the book harder to comprehend. As for any offensive content in the book, the only thing would be the author’s discussion of Sigurd Olson’s religious beliefs, which don’t conform to any one religion, but seem to have formed from a wide variety of religions and philosophies. This unconventional view of God may be upsetting to some people. Apart from that, the book seems free of offensive content.
The main takeaway I got from this book is that success hardly ever comes easy. Sigurd Olson spent a lot of his life disheartened and dissatisfied with how his life was going. It was a long, bumpy road to success for him. His writing didn’t come easy to him, it required grueling work that more often than not ended with rejection from publishers. Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration” really rang true in this book. I had known this, to a certain degree, but after reading this book the full meaning and truth of it really sank in. The following excerpt from the book strongly illustrates this.
“He had felt trapped in an unfulfilling career, stuck in a community full of people who could not relate to him intellectually, and had sealed off his deepest beliefs, thoughts, and fears from his own family. Succumbing to periods of despair, he had bewildered his life and damaged his health. He could not explain these things. He had not wanted to make life hard for Elizabeth or for their children or for himself. His dream went beyond want; it was a fire burning within him, a consuming flame that had the potential to fulfill or destroy him. Somehow, despite the many rejections, despite the self-torture-despite the genuinely long odds of succeeding as a writer of essays-he had held fast to his dream, and had triumphed.”
January 31, 2013
I've read every book Sigurd Olson wrote, and was eager to read the "behind the scenes" story of his life. I was somewhat surprised to learn that he suffered from depression, since his books are are folksy, humorous and upbeat. He was middle aged when his first book manuscript was accepted, and I'm amazed that he had the will to keep writing after so many rejections.
His battles with the park service, US Government and local towns during the forming of the Quetico-Superior/Boundary Waters wilderness area happened either before my time or when I was small. I didn't realize that he was such a central figure in establishing it and making sure roads and housing developments weren't allowed to spoil the beauty and tranquility of it.
This was an interesting book that allowed me to better understand a complicated man who was very different than the persona he portrayed in his books. But I identify with his need to be outdoors and canoeing in the wild, lonely places even at the expense of popularity and career.
His battles with the park service, US Government and local towns during the forming of the Quetico-Superior/Boundary Waters wilderness area happened either before my time or when I was small. I didn't realize that he was such a central figure in establishing it and making sure roads and housing developments weren't allowed to spoil the beauty and tranquility of it.
This was an interesting book that allowed me to better understand a complicated man who was very different than the persona he portrayed in his books. But I identify with his need to be outdoors and canoeing in the wild, lonely places even at the expense of popularity and career.
November 29, 2020
Review of The Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson
No matter what I write here I doubt I can convey just how much I enjoyed this biography. I thought I knew Sigurd Olson before I read the book because I have read all his published books, many of them several times. We were guests of Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson and at least three occasions prior to or just following our canoe trips into the BWCA and Quetico. I also corresponded with him on a few occasions. The life portrayed in this thoroughly researched book not only captured the life of the Sigurd I knew, but went so much deeper.
The one theme in the book that most surprised me was Sigurd’s deep longing for recognition and his obsession with writing as the path that would lead there. Sigurd’s long, heart-breaking struggle before his eventual success in writing is something that I had not understood. I knew that he had first published hunting and wilderness adventure stories and I had read several of these, thinking that they were unremarkable but had no idea of how much of this writing was rejected by publishers. I also did not know that this drive to write was born in part from his deep dissatisfaction with his careers in education and conservation.
The second revelation for me was the depth of his involvement with the conservation and national parks movement. I was aware of his work to seek wilderness status for the BWCA, but I did not realize how long and deep was his work throughout North America in wilderness protection. Nor did I know that he had worked closely with such icons of the ecology and wilderness movements as Aldo Leopold and Bob Marshall, and with Canadian and several United States Federal administrations.
In my reading of Sigurd I became aware of his deep spirituality and his articulation of the importance of wildness to the souls of human beings. I knew that he was best known for his interpretation of the wilderness experience, and this was what first attracted me to his writing. As I reread Open Horizons this past year, I began to fully appreciate all Olson had so tell us about God’s presence in wilderness. This biography develops this theme thoroughly by exploring Sigurd’s early religious upbringing, the philosophies and religious texts he read that influenced him and tracing the spiritual elements throughout his writing. In short, this text acknowledges Aldo Leopold with developing the wilderness ethic, but credits Olson for taking it further into a wilderness aesthetic. The great love I have for Olson’s writing is rooted in this aesthetic and I was thrilled to see it so thoroughly documented.
This biography’s real power is in bringing Sigurd Olson to life, going beyond the myth to reveal the man in all his failings, frustrations and greatness.
No matter what I write here I doubt I can convey just how much I enjoyed this biography. I thought I knew Sigurd Olson before I read the book because I have read all his published books, many of them several times. We were guests of Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson and at least three occasions prior to or just following our canoe trips into the BWCA and Quetico. I also corresponded with him on a few occasions. The life portrayed in this thoroughly researched book not only captured the life of the Sigurd I knew, but went so much deeper.
The one theme in the book that most surprised me was Sigurd’s deep longing for recognition and his obsession with writing as the path that would lead there. Sigurd’s long, heart-breaking struggle before his eventual success in writing is something that I had not understood. I knew that he had first published hunting and wilderness adventure stories and I had read several of these, thinking that they were unremarkable but had no idea of how much of this writing was rejected by publishers. I also did not know that this drive to write was born in part from his deep dissatisfaction with his careers in education and conservation.
The second revelation for me was the depth of his involvement with the conservation and national parks movement. I was aware of his work to seek wilderness status for the BWCA, but I did not realize how long and deep was his work throughout North America in wilderness protection. Nor did I know that he had worked closely with such icons of the ecology and wilderness movements as Aldo Leopold and Bob Marshall, and with Canadian and several United States Federal administrations.
In my reading of Sigurd I became aware of his deep spirituality and his articulation of the importance of wildness to the souls of human beings. I knew that he was best known for his interpretation of the wilderness experience, and this was what first attracted me to his writing. As I reread Open Horizons this past year, I began to fully appreciate all Olson had so tell us about God’s presence in wilderness. This biography develops this theme thoroughly by exploring Sigurd’s early religious upbringing, the philosophies and religious texts he read that influenced him and tracing the spiritual elements throughout his writing. In short, this text acknowledges Aldo Leopold with developing the wilderness ethic, but credits Olson for taking it further into a wilderness aesthetic. The great love I have for Olson’s writing is rooted in this aesthetic and I was thrilled to see it so thoroughly documented.
This biography’s real power is in bringing Sigurd Olson to life, going beyond the myth to reveal the man in all his failings, frustrations and greatness.
July 17, 2023
David Backes’s “The Wilderness Within” is a workmanlike portrait of Sigurd F. Olson, a Minnesota icon, and a major player in the mid-20th-century conservation movement. After a stint as a teacher, educational administrator, and a conservationist with the Izaak Walton League, Olson found his voice as an author, penning such classics as “The Singing Wilderness” and "Reflections from the North Country,” statements of his land aesthetics and his spiritual philosophy.
Backes is very sympathetic to Olson; but, to the author’s credit, he treats the public controversies that sometimes embroiled Olson with an evenhanded sense of respect. The son of a Swedish Baptist minister, Olson renounced the religious dogma of his childhood, and eventually became an adherent of a proto- deep ecology, largely the result of his reading of Teilhard de Chardin and Lecomte du Nuoy. Olson's writing was not immediately acclaimed. His work could be both diffuse, and overly sentimental; nonetheless, he eventually found his voice and his audience.
Backes devotes much of his narrative to Olson's support for roadless areas and air reservations-at the time. a radical position- in the Boundary Waters and elsewhere; however, he tends to downplay Olson’s financial ties to the tourism and mining industries in the Vermillion Range. In addition, Backes says little about Olson’s construction of the Listening Point cabin on Burntside Lake, adjoining the Boundary Waters. Olson, who registered qualms about wilderness development in its many forms, seems not to have been overly concerned with the ethics of this endeavor.
Backes’s Olson is a multifaceted man, a scientist and a conservationist, who grudgingly accepted numerous administrative posts; Olson lived a life of quiet desperation, yet he still managed to convey his love of nature to an entire generation of readers.
Exhaustively researched, Backes has produced a profuse, but measured volume that gives a true sense of Sigurd F.Olson. Olson’s oeuvre echoes the thought of Max Picard, who averred, “ The silence of animals and the silence of nature would not be so great and noble if it were merely a failure of language to materialize.Silence has been entrusted to the animals and to nature as something
created for its own sake.”
Backes is very sympathetic to Olson; but, to the author’s credit, he treats the public controversies that sometimes embroiled Olson with an evenhanded sense of respect. The son of a Swedish Baptist minister, Olson renounced the religious dogma of his childhood, and eventually became an adherent of a proto- deep ecology, largely the result of his reading of Teilhard de Chardin and Lecomte du Nuoy. Olson's writing was not immediately acclaimed. His work could be both diffuse, and overly sentimental; nonetheless, he eventually found his voice and his audience.
Backes devotes much of his narrative to Olson's support for roadless areas and air reservations-at the time. a radical position- in the Boundary Waters and elsewhere; however, he tends to downplay Olson’s financial ties to the tourism and mining industries in the Vermillion Range. In addition, Backes says little about Olson’s construction of the Listening Point cabin on Burntside Lake, adjoining the Boundary Waters. Olson, who registered qualms about wilderness development in its many forms, seems not to have been overly concerned with the ethics of this endeavor.
Backes’s Olson is a multifaceted man, a scientist and a conservationist, who grudgingly accepted numerous administrative posts; Olson lived a life of quiet desperation, yet he still managed to convey his love of nature to an entire generation of readers.
Exhaustively researched, Backes has produced a profuse, but measured volume that gives a true sense of Sigurd F.Olson. Olson’s oeuvre echoes the thought of Max Picard, who averred, “ The silence of animals and the silence of nature would not be so great and noble if it were merely a failure of language to materialize.Silence has been entrusted to the animals and to nature as something
created for its own sake.”
May 11, 2017
Disclaimer: I personally know the author; you can see the influence of Olson in Backes' blog, http://gatheringrunes.com/blog/ .
I feel I have found a kindred soul now that I have read this wonderfully structured and personal biography of Olson. I have not yet read Olson's writings, but even the quotes within this book are very much things I have experienced...oh, not the wilderness, but HOW one experiences wilderness/creation coming together to meet our eyes and our souls.
I much admire the doggedness of Olson in following not only his desire to write, but his constant efforts, often at great expense to pushing back his dream of writing, to preserve the wilderness for everyone. That he preferred to be known as a conservationist, not an environmentalist, I believe explains much of his personality...I think it is something we need to explore in our fight against climate change.
I feel I have found a kindred soul now that I have read this wonderfully structured and personal biography of Olson. I have not yet read Olson's writings, but even the quotes within this book are very much things I have experienced...oh, not the wilderness, but HOW one experiences wilderness/creation coming together to meet our eyes and our souls.
I much admire the doggedness of Olson in following not only his desire to write, but his constant efforts, often at great expense to pushing back his dream of writing, to preserve the wilderness for everyone. That he preferred to be known as a conservationist, not an environmentalist, I believe explains much of his personality...I think it is something we need to explore in our fight against climate change.
June 18, 2018
An intensely close look at the life of author and conservationist, Sigurd Olson. While the insight into Olson’s struggle to become an established writer and the transformation of the town of Ely and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is intriguing, it’s detailed. Painstakingly detailed. I’d recommend for fans of Olson or of the BWCA.
September 20, 2015
Not being a native Minnesotan, my first introduction to Olson was when my daughters attended a school named after him. We snowshoe every winter in the Boundary Waters and have canoed in the BWCA. Just recently I started reading his books and jumped at the chance to learn more about him when I saw his biography in the gift shop at the U of M Landscape Arboretum. For the most part it is an engrossing story of a complicated man who loved nature, fought to preserve wilderness and found a way to eventually be the writer he wanted to be. I do wonder how many people know of him today?
March 17, 2012
An outstanding biography of one of our greatest wilderness advocates. He was a driven man, both in his passion for protecting wilderness but also to write his impressions and feeling of wild places. An often troubled and pretty ego driven person. I think one of the best written biographies I have read in sometime.
May 29, 2008
what can i say...i'm from mn and this guys's like a god to many from mn....though not me. he's like the orginal tree hugger, so you wouldn't think i'm interested, but you know....whatever.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews