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In de wildernis
De Schotse John Muir verhuisde halverwege de negentiende eeuw met zijn ouders vanuit een Schots dorpje naar Wisconsin in de VS. Zij besloten daar een nieuwe boerderij en een nieuw leven op te bouwen. Het ravottende baasje van elf dat van vogels en dieren hield en van buiten zijn, werd in een nieuw land neergezet en ravotte daar met zijn broertjes en zusjes gewoon door, maar zag nieuwe vogels en nieuwe dieren.
Muir werd de grootste natuurbeschermer van de VS, de man die zorgde voor de oprichting van Nationale Parken als Sequoia en Yosemite, en natuurlijk zijn eigen Muir Woods.
In deze verrassende keuze uit zijn geschriften leren we de natuur van Amerika kennen zoals die dankzij Muir op veel plekken is bewaard, verbijsterend veelzijdig en geweldig. Muirs verwondering over wat hij ziet, zijn behoefte het landschap te begrijpen en aan te raken, te tekenen, er te slapen en te verdwalen zijn met zoveel precisie beschreven dat de lezer zich nog steeds aan Muirs bossen en bergen kan laven.
Muir gidst de lezer door landschappen die door zijn toedoen en bescherming nog steeds de eigenschappen bezitten die Muir zelf zo lyrisch maakten.
Muir werd de grootste natuurbeschermer van de VS, de man die zorgde voor de oprichting van Nationale Parken als Sequoia en Yosemite, en natuurlijk zijn eigen Muir Woods.
In deze verrassende keuze uit zijn geschriften leren we de natuur van Amerika kennen zoals die dankzij Muir op veel plekken is bewaard, verbijsterend veelzijdig en geweldig. Muirs verwondering over wat hij ziet, zijn behoefte het landschap te begrijpen en aan te raken, te tekenen, er te slapen en te verdwalen zijn met zoveel precisie beschreven dat de lezer zich nog steeds aan Muirs bossen en bergen kan laven.
Muir gidst de lezer door landschappen die door zijn toedoen en bescherming nog steeds de eigenschappen bezitten die Muir zelf zo lyrisch maakten.
- GenresTravel
197 pages, Paperback
Published February 12, 2018
6 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
John Muir
624 books1,431 followersJohn Muir was far more than a naturalist; he was a secular prophet who translated the rugged language of the wilderness into a spiritual calling that saved the American soul from total surrender to materialism. Born in 1838 in the coastal town of Dunbar, Scotland, Muir’s childhood was a blend of seaside wanderings and a brutal religious upbringing. His father, Daniel Muir, was a man of uncompromising faith who forced John to memorize the New Testament and most of the Old Testament by age eleven. When the family immigrated to the frontier of Wisconsin in 1849, this iron-fisted discipline continued on their farm. However, for the young Muir, the "Book of Nature" began to rival the Bible. He saw the divine not just in scripture, but in the black locust trees and the sun-drenched meadows of the midwest.
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 20, 2018
John Muir still is a big name in America. Almost on his own, this son of Scottish immigrants was responsible for the recognition and protection of many 'national parcs', in the United States at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The most famous of these are in California, with Yosemite Valley at the top.
This booklet is an anthology of the many reports that Muir made during his often adventurous walks through the still very 'wilderness-like' America of that time, looking for pieces of untouched nature. Muir was a botanist in training and it is therefore logical that most attention goes to the infinite variety of plants and trees. But also geological aspects, the formation of ravines and glacial valleys are discussed. It is incredible with what an eye for detail Muir observes and describes all that beauty with an enthusiasm that is disarming and inspiring, and also regularly has a religious touch.
One of the most remarkable fragments in this book is the description of the enormous diversity of sounds that he hears during a violent storm, after he has climbed 20 meters high in a stately douglas fir, swinging to and fro. At least as horrifying is his description of the exploration of a glacier in Alaska, again in stormy weather, where he barely escapes death, and in the meantime a small dog is following him, with which he develops a special bond.
The striking thing about the anthology is that Muir emerges as an unadulterated nature-romantic: he becomes absolutely lyrical at the sight of untouched natural beauty, and he contrasts that "paradisiacal purity" with the depravity of modern civilization. There is also something solemn, archaic about the literary style of Muir, which is very much respected by the Dutch translator.
One critical reflection, though: Muir is very concerned about the threats to the natural beauty, and rightly so, but in the period of time that he traveled through the described areas and was enchanted by the landscapes, very nearby there was a form of genocide in progress against the Indians. Judging from this anthology, his sensitivity to this issue apparently was much less developed.
Nevertheless, warmly recommended, this booklet. Not to read on the beach, at the pool or on a terrace. No, better in a swaying cornfield, a majestic spruce forest or high in the mountains near glacier ice ... these are the places where this booklet really comes into its own.
This booklet is an anthology of the many reports that Muir made during his often adventurous walks through the still very 'wilderness-like' America of that time, looking for pieces of untouched nature. Muir was a botanist in training and it is therefore logical that most attention goes to the infinite variety of plants and trees. But also geological aspects, the formation of ravines and glacial valleys are discussed. It is incredible with what an eye for detail Muir observes and describes all that beauty with an enthusiasm that is disarming and inspiring, and also regularly has a religious touch.
One of the most remarkable fragments in this book is the description of the enormous diversity of sounds that he hears during a violent storm, after he has climbed 20 meters high in a stately douglas fir, swinging to and fro. At least as horrifying is his description of the exploration of a glacier in Alaska, again in stormy weather, where he barely escapes death, and in the meantime a small dog is following him, with which he develops a special bond.
The striking thing about the anthology is that Muir emerges as an unadulterated nature-romantic: he becomes absolutely lyrical at the sight of untouched natural beauty, and he contrasts that "paradisiacal purity" with the depravity of modern civilization. There is also something solemn, archaic about the literary style of Muir, which is very much respected by the Dutch translator.
One critical reflection, though: Muir is very concerned about the threats to the natural beauty, and rightly so, but in the period of time that he traveled through the described areas and was enchanted by the landscapes, very nearby there was a form of genocide in progress against the Indians. Judging from this anthology, his sensitivity to this issue apparently was much less developed.
Nevertheless, warmly recommended, this booklet. Not to read on the beach, at the pool or on a terrace. No, better in a swaying cornfield, a majestic spruce forest or high in the mountains near glacier ice ... these are the places where this booklet really comes into its own.
August 25, 2019
Een snoepertje van een boek, eigenlijk een bloemlezing van Muir zijn hoogtepunten. Muir, immers, zou vermoedelijk nog geen gevoel van eenzaamheid hebben gekend als hij het laatste levende wezen op aard was geweest; hij ‘speelt’ tijdens zijn wandelingen naar hartenlust ‘met de dennen’, ‘converseert’ met ‘de ronde heuveltoppen’, en noemt rotsen zijn ‘dierbare vrienden’, die bij momenten lijken te ‘willen praten’. Werkelijk álles lijkt met Muir mee te leven: watervallen zingen lieflijke slaapliedjes, en de maan wordt uiteraard niet louter gezien, maar kijkt ook zélf neer op wat er zich op de wereld zoal afspeelt.
January 4, 2020
I love Muir's writings, but there were a bit too many glacier ramblings this time.
January 15, 2020
Heerlijk nostalgisch en licht afgunstig met John Muir door de weidse en gulle natuur van Noord-Amerika trekken.
Muir heeft een goede pen en zijn stukken geven een heldere indruk van de indrukwekkende, rijke natuur die onze aardbol (Noord-Amerika) te bieden heeft. Soms zo helder dat je zou willen dat er 4 soorten bloemen minder groeiden rond de kreek die hij beschrijft, zodat de tekst wat meer vaart zou krijgen ;).
Muir heeft een goede pen en zijn stukken geven een heldere indruk van de indrukwekkende, rijke natuur die onze aardbol (Noord-Amerika) te bieden heeft. Soms zo helder dat je zou willen dat er 4 soorten bloemen minder groeiden rond de kreek die hij beschrijft, zodat de tekst wat meer vaart zou krijgen ;).
Read
September 4, 2022Mooie meditaties over de natuur, waarvan er veel nog verassend actueel zijn of misschien nog wel nijpender zijn geworden. Ook hier en daar een mooie reflectie op de mens en de mentale veerkracht. By far mijn meest favoriete hoofdstuk is die van Stickeen.
July 13, 2021
This was a great read on a rainy day while out camping. A collection of stories from John Muir, translated in Dutch. Nature in America has always fascinated me, and their natural parks are on my to-visit list one day. I love the writing, but it can be quite detailed with plant names and terms, which could be less enjoyable for some.
September 25, 2022
John Muir was een held die zich in zijn graf zou omdraaien als hij zou weten hoe de wildernis van de States te grabbel gegooid is. John Muir heeft met succes gelobbyd voor het creëren van nationale parken en reservaten in de VS om de natuur te behouden. In dit boek is een aantal verslagen van zijn tochten door de wildernis verzameld, en kunnen we over zijn schouder meegenieten van zijn avonturen.
April 14, 2021
Some parts were brilliant and heart-moving. But mostly the descriptions were too botanical for my taste. I can imagine that for Americans or people who know the regions he describes, it's far more interesting. It did give me a constant itch to go camping though!
August 22, 2019
The mountains are calling and i must go...
Helaas was dit boek niet wat ik dacht dat het was....
Maar 1 hoofdstuk waar ik me waande in de natuur door de mooie beschrijvingen.
Helaas was dit boek niet wat ik dacht dat het was....
Maar 1 hoofdstuk waar ik me waande in de natuur door de mooie beschrijvingen.
May 12, 2021
Het boek is zeker vier sterren waard, maar ik kon me er absoluut niet op concentreren.
June 10, 2024
vijf sterren voor deel 1 waarin hij over zijn jeugd vertelt. De rest vond ik oeverloos saai.
June 13, 2020
Wanneer je in de Amerikaanse nationale parken bent geweest zie je de prachtige omgeving, zo vol detail beschreven door John Muir, zo voor je.
Het boek is soms zo beschrijvend dat het de aandacht niet helemaal vast kan houden.
Het boek is soms zo beschrijvend dat het de aandacht niet helemaal vast kan houden.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews