The Friendship of a Mountain: A Brief Treatise on Elevation

by Pascal Bruckner, Cory Stockwell (Translator)

Why are we fascinated by mountains? These outcrops of rock were once considered unsightly, something to be avoided at all costs, but, since Rousseau, they have been contrasted with our corrupt cities and viewed as serene enclaves of beauty and relaxation. But why climb to the summit only to come back down again? Why does the toil of climbing convert into joy? What metaphysics of the absolute is playing out here – what challenge does climbing pose to time and ageing, to fearful panic, to the brush with danger which leads to conquest? It’s not faith that elevates mountains – it’s mountains that elevate our faith in challenging us to overcome them. These hooded majesties crush some people while exalting others. For the latter, climbing means being born again, reaching a state of exhilaration. Being seized by exhaustion upon arriving at the summit is akin to casting your eyes upon paradise. Is it the stinging cold, the wind so strong that it almost knocks you down, or is it higher powers that speak to us in this mixture of terror and beauty? A child of the mountains who spent his youth in Austria and Switzerland, Pascal Bruckner has special ties to the subject of this the further he climbs, the more he reconnects to his past. In sparkling and sensual prose, Bruckner’s paean to the majesty of mountains weaves together things seen and things read, childhood memories, literature and philosophy, interlaced with reflections on life, ageing and the unrivalled beauty of an ecosystem that we are in danger of destroying.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Pascal Bruckner est un romancier et essayiste français, d'origine suisse protestante, né à Paris le 15 décembre 1948. Après des études au Lycée Henri IV à Paris, à l'université de Paris I et de Paris VII, et à l'Ecole pratique des hautes études, Pascal Bruckner devient professeur invité à l'Université d'Etat de San Diego en Californie et à la New York University de 1986 à 1995. Maître de conférences à l'Institut d'études politiques de Paris de 1990 à 1994, il collabore également au Monde et au Nouvel Observateur. Romancier prolifique, on lui doit Lunes de fiel - adapté à l'écran par Roman Polanski - Les Voleurs de beauté - prix Renaudot en 1997 - et plus récemment L'Amour du prochain (2005).

Pascal Bruckner is a French writer, one of the "New Philosophers" who came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of his work has been devoted to critiques of French society and culture. He is the author of many books including The Tyranny of Guilt, Perpetual Euphoria and The Paradox of Love. He writes regularly for Le Nouvel Observateur.

Reviews

[Katie]

This was a nice rumination on why people climb mountains. He called mountains “great stone books” which I liked a lot. However there were a few chapters I skimmed because I was bored. He dedicated an entire chapter to how good milk is.

[Ava Olender]

Bruckner’s writing style is completely unmatched for 21st century literature. The whole book is filled with prose and metaphors that felt musical while reading it. The way that Bruckner ties in climbing history, personal hiking accounts, philosophy, and many other topics makes this work truly masterful. I may be a bit biased as I did read this book in the midst of several hiking/skiing trips.

[Marion Holzer]

Un très beau livre qui nous amène à réfléchir sur ce que l’on voit en montagne sans toujours y prêter attention.
Une parfaite balade méditative !

[Matthew Simms]

“The Friendship of a Mountain” challenged me to reflect upon my own experiences of hiking and relationship to nature. The author, Pascal Bruckner, finds mountains as places of escape, as many do in the 21st century. Especially as he approaches his later years, the mountains of the world are places he confronts death and the reality of life. It makes me want to hike more, despite the onslaught of cold in the Northeast these past few days. I want to leave you with one of the quotes that I have been reflecting upon the last few weeks. In Chapter 2, Bruckner writes, “There are two kinds of suffering: the one you endure, and the one you choose; the one that afflicts you, and the one that transforms you.” I think we can all escape to the mountains to bask in their glory and wisdom.

*Just a note, as to not ruin the reflection above, I would have loved to give this book 5 stars due to the well-crafted prose. However, Bruckner’s descriptive and tangential reflection on cows in Chapter 3 was out of place, and may I say, unsettling.

[Iulia Vucmanovici]

O lectură lejeră, ușoară și distrată, adecvată spațiului unei cafenele, atâta timp cât durează băutul unei cafele, sâmbăta dimineață. La un alt nivel, al lecturii adânci, atente și serioase, cartea îsi pierde farmecul. Autorul ar putea scrie eseuri filozofice și despre cum se bate un ou, ceea ce nu înseamnă, neapărat, că are și ce spune, ci, mai degrabă, o rețetă -și o urticarie- a scrisului. Am rămas cu două idei: despre tați (patrarhii hodorogiți, care compensează cu violență pierderea puterii din epocile ancestrale) și despre renaștere -prin ascensiune, în cazul dat- ca reintrare în starea de efervescență. Un text glossy, soporific ca o cană de lapte fierbinte (laptele fiind o temă căreia îi este dedicată un reconfortant capitol). A doua stea îi este dedicată din solidaritatea cu toți băutorii de ayran, unii dintre ei și scriitori.

[Andrea]

I think it has some interesting thoughts on mountaineering and at least and effort of trying to name some things related to mountains. The first half is interesting, the second one is not that interesting. The point of view of the relationship with the mountain seems to be like a struggle, kind of weird type of friendship that it represents. Maybe I'm kind of bored of the European way of looking at mountains as obstacles to conquer, it kind of gets old.
Looking for more readings from global South perspectives. They seem more rich and nourishing.

[Laney]

3.75!

[Eva Crisafulli]

What a strange book. At times it sung and at others it sunk. The bit about milk lost me. But overall the time spent in the alps was worth it. Will probably read again.

[Tiphaine Dudok]

on s'y perd dans les anecdotes, il manque un fil conducteur. J'ai eu un peu de mal avec le ton utilisé pendant certains passages

[Ici93]

Assaig imprescindible per a tot aquell que estime la muntanya. Analitza, des d'una perspectiva poètica, l'elitisme, consum i població muntanyenca, tant l'habitual com l'esporàdica.