The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

by Patrik Svensson

Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is both a meditation on the world's most elusive fish--the eel--and a reflection on the human condition

Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the "eel question" Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even today, in an age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don't understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances back to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery.

Drawing on a breadth of research about eels in literature, history, and modern marine biology, as well as his own experience fishing for eels with his father, Patrik Svensson crafts a mesmerizing portrait of an unusual, utterly misunderstood, and completely captivating animal. In The Book of Eels, we meet renowned historical thinkers, from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud to Rachel Carson, for whom the eel was a singular obsession. And we meet the scientists who spearheaded the search for the eel's point of origin, including Danish marine biologist Johannes Schmidt, who led research efforts in the early twentieth century, catching thousands upon thousands of eels, in the hopes of proving their birthing grounds in the Sargasso Sea.

Blending memoir and nature writing at its best, Svensson's journey to understand the eel becomes an exploration of the human condition that delves into overarching issues about our roots and destiny, both as humans and as animals, and, ultimately, how to handle the biggest question of all: death. The result is a gripping and slippery narrative that will surprise and enchant.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Memoir, Animals, Audiobook, History

Audio CD

First published July 30, 2019

About the author

Lars Patrik Svensson (born 1972) is a Swedish journalist and author. Svensson works in the cultural editorial department of Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad.

In the summer of 2019, he made his debut as an author with the book Ålevangeliet, which is partly a non-fiction book about the eel as a species and about the eel's cultural history, and partly an autobiographical story about the author and his father. Rights to publish the book have been purchased in 2019 for publication in 33 other languages. The book received the August Prize for Swedish Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2019.

Reviews

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should be titled "The Book of Eels: A Childhood Spent Fishing with My Dad". Actually, maybe we could just take off the first part, and make it "Fishing with My Dad: A Memoir". That would better reflect the book's contents. 

But that's not what it's called and when I saw this book I went, Oh goody! A book about eels! I don't know anything about eels! I must read this book!

(Not sure if all those exclamation marks were in my thoughts, but probably. I get excited at the prospect of learning something new.)

Now, had I bothered to read the book's blurb, I would have learned that it's not really so much about eels. But did I bother to read the blurb? Nope! I was too excited to see a book about something I know zero about and quickly placed a hold on it.

The first chapter was thrilling. I learned some fascinating things about eels. I learned that they:

•Have four growth stages, beginning with the larvae which has "a body like a willow leaf, flat and virtually transparent, only a few millimeters long".

•The other stages are glass, yellow, and silver.

•All eels, no matter the species or where they end up in the world, begin life in the Sargasso Sea

•They then migrate thousands of miles to their adult home

•Once there, they normally stay within a radius of just a few hundred yards

•Eels are believed to travel back to the Sargasso Sea (where the smallest larvae are always found) to reproduce, but no one has ever seen an adult eel in the Sargasso Sea despite searching for them for a century.

•An eel can live up to fifty years in one place though they are believed to die after reproducing.

I learned all that and more in just the first chapter. Imagine my excitement, thinking the entire book was going to be full of facts!

But chapter 2 came and my balloon burst.





I quickly discovered that the book was not going to be much about eels, but about the author's time spent fishing for eels with his dad. Just about every other chapter of the book is about that.

As a vegan who finds fishing horrifying (imagine having a huge hook stuck through your lips), I had to skip those chapters. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't read about catching them and I couldn't read about gutting them and cooking them and consuming them. 

Most of the other chapters are about people who have studied eels, their lives and what they thought them. There were interesting people such as Aristotle, Rachel Carson, and Sigmund Freud (you won't be surprised to learn his studies of them centered around finding the male's testicles).

However, I really did not want to learn about these people or their thoughts about eels. Nor did I want to learn about the eel in literature. I wanted to learn about eels!

Unfortunately, not a whole lot is known about them and so the author fills the book with details of people instead. Did I mention my balloon of excitement had deflated?

I found it mildly interesting to learn that the pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts on the Mayflower survived in large part to their consumption of eels, which a Native American gave to them. And yet the eel is not part of any American symbolization or mythology. Instead, on Thanksgiving people eat turkey... or tofurkey for those like me. 

At one point the author makes the assertion that "in order to understand the eel, we have to have an interest in it, and to have an interest in it, we have to continue to hunt, kill, and eat it".

What??? Really?? Maybe it isn't convincing to say I find it interesting without wanting to hunt, kill, and eat it but what about dogs? People in Western countries understand and have an interest in dogs but I don't know anyone who thinks they have to hunt, kill, and eat them in order to do so!

Really, Mr. Svensson, that is some messed up stuff.

In the last decade, a European team attached electronic transmitters to seven hundred silver eels to study their migration back to the Sargasso Sea. Though only eighty-seven reached their destination, researchers learned that eels "can swim without stopping for at least six months using nothing but its fat reserves as fuel". 

They swim both day and night at an average of up to thirty-one miles a day. Pretty impressive, eh? I couldn't swim even a quarter of a mile, at least not without stopping several times to catch my breath.

Sadly, eels, which have swam Earth's waters for at least forty million years, are now considered critically endangered. The author discusses this and the possible reasons for their dwindling numbers, from climate change to a herpes virus specific to eels, first seen in eels in captivity in Japan and  which spread to about half of all eels in the world.

One thing is clear: We humans are most likely responsible for the demise of the eel, along with countless other species.  

The eel may perish from the earth before we ever really understand it. Such a devastating idea.

I wouldn't recommend this book to those solely wanting to learn about eels. I'd say it's a book for people who love fishing. That's not me. 

5 stars for the quality of writing. 2 for my enjoyment of it. 1 star deducted for the batshit crazy idea that one has to enjoy killing eels if they're interested in them.

2.5 stars but I'll round it up to 3 because, you know, I'm such a nice person.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it’s serendipity that I picked up this book at the same time as I lost my father. Just like this fish he was born in the Caribbean, found his way all the way up to the Scandinavian coast, stayed here for 30 years and then returned triumphantly to his origins before dying. Both the author and I have been preoccupied with understanding and recollecting a father/son relationship and how your father can at once be something deeply familiar and still remain a mystery, just like the eel.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an unexpected surprise! This combination of memoir, science, and history examines what we know and still do not know about the eel. They are born in the Sargasso Sea, travel thousands of miles upstream to lakes where the spend a portion of their lives, then migrate back. No one knows how they reproduce. No one has seen a mature adult in the Sargasso Sea. They have been studied since Aristotle’s time.

Svensson has been around eels since his childhood years in Sweden, where his father taught him eel fishing. He cites eels in literature, scientific studies, and Basque traditions. He weaves together chapters of nature writing and personal stories. I particularly enjoyed the touching scenes with his father toward the end.

The author has a point of view and is not shy in expressing his opinions. It is a nice change of pace. I tend to enjoy books about creatures of our natural world with secrets we have not yet discovered. If you enjoy great nature writing and scientific mysteries, this is a good one to pick up.

4.5

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

My (very sassy) review is on Open Letters Review.

[☆LaurA☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devo ringraziare Pietrino per avermi regalato questa perla.
Per avermi dato modo di tornare bambina e rivivere quei bellissimi momenti che ho condiviso con mio padre.
Da quando avevo 6 anni credo, la domenica era giorno di pesca.
Io e papà andavamo nei laghetti della nostra zona dove si poteva pescare. Lui preparava canne, retino, secchio, straccio e bastone a portata di mano. Io invece guardavo incantata le camole che stavano al caldo nella segatura, dentro la loro scatoletta tutta colorata. Ero io a mettere quel vermetto bianco e cicciotto sull'amo, era una cosa macabra ma che sapevo fare bene, mio padre è stato un bravo maestro.
Quando tutto era pronto era ora di lanciare l'esca nell'acqua e aspettare. Già perché la pesca è uno sport di pazienza, non si deve avere fretta,ma io come tutti i bambini ero impaziente di vedere se abboccava qualcosa, volevo prendere un pesce per dirlo alla mamma.
Solitamente portavamo a casa sempre qualche trota.
Papà mi faceva partecipare anche alle gare dei pierini (non so mica perché quelle dei bambini le chiamassero cosi) ed ho vinto anche qualche trofeo.
Ho una foto che mi ritrae con il secondo premio più grande della sottoscritta e io tutta tronfia tra due ragazzi più grandi di me.
Quando andavamo al lago io e papà non parlavamo molto...non abbiamo mai parlato molto in realtà. Papà era come me, di poche parole, ma con uno sguardo che diceva tutto.
È stato un uomo fantastico ed ho le lacrime agli occhi mentre scrivo queste parole, è stato un amico per tutti quelli che gli sono stati vicino e c'era sempre per tutti, tanto che mamma diceva che per gli altri era sempre disponibile e noi venivamo dopo.
Ma non è così.
Quando ho avuto mio figlio ed era abbastanza grande per poterlo portare a pesca lui lo ha fatto. Il mio nanetto di 3 anni e il nonno che pesacavano.
Ivano era tutto felice di stare con il suo nonno, orgoglioso di fare quella cosa da grandi, mio papà si scioglieva quando Ivi lo abbracciava e gli sorrideva.
Ma, come per Svesson, anche il mio papà ci ha lasciati per un mesotelioma pleurico, un dannato cancro ai polmoni causato dal lavoro di metalmeccanico.
Questo libro è stato un pugno allo stomaco, la storia di un figlio legato al proprio padre da un pesce....L'ANGUILLA.
Pesce misterioso e disgustoso al tempo stesso. Una sorta di serpente marino, ma che non è un rettile, un pesce che non ha le sembianze di tale. Tanti misteri si celano dietro questa creatura schiva. Molto interessante tutto ciò che è girato intorno a questa figura quasi in via d'estinzione.
Un bellissimo libro che, se non mi avessero consigliato, non avrei mai letto.
Quindi ringrazio ancora Pietro che inconsapevolmente mi ha fatto un bellissimo regalo!

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m surprised by how much I liked this book. My experience with eels is pretty limited. I saw some big ones in a display at Disney World, and they were repulsive-looking. You couldn’t pay me to knowingly eat eel. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about eels. Luckily, Swedish author Patrik Svensson has a lot to say about eels, and it is fascinating. His chapters alternate between explaining the mysteries of eel life and the mysteries of his own life. Going beyond the biological strangeness of the eel, Svensson ponders the eel’s role in mythology, literature, and geopolitics. (Did you know that eels have never been bred in captivity, and no one has ever seen eels mate or reproduce?) The eel’s metamorphosis, migration patterns, and elusive nature form a backdrop for Svennson’s haunting stories about his father, a hard man who liked to catch, cook, and consume eels. It comes down to this: Patrik Svensson is a gifted writer who uses narrative to explore the enigmas that intrigue him, whether they are in the natural world or in his quest to understand himself.

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

„Šiaip jau mėgstantis žinoti žmogus ungurių atžvilgiu visada buvo iš dalies paliktas tikėti“
Įprasta kalbėti apie laiko tėkmę ir natūralų gyvenimo ratą – šios kalbos prasidėjo kur kas anksčiau, nei kad apie „Circle of life“ uždainavo Eltonas. Vis dėlto, faktą, jog žmogus gyvenimo ratą ir artėjančią baigtį supranta ir jaučia, priimti nėra taip sudėtinga. Tačiau kaip kiekvienas europinis ungurys žino, kad jam jau atėjo laikas? Kaip žuvis, ištisus dešimtmečius gyvenusi visai kitur nei ten, kur gimė – Sargasų jūroje – vieną dieną nusprendžia, kad metas išsiruošti į paskutinę kelionę ir savo dienas užbaigti neršiant ten pat, kur viskas ir prasidėjo? Kaip Anguilla anguilla savo tikslą pasiekia, net jei yra nuo jo nutolęs šimtais, tūkstančiais, dešimtimis tūkstančių kilometrų? Kaip visada randa kelią namo? Kaip žino, kada jo reikia pradėti ieškoti ir kaip gali paskutinę metamorfozę nukelti vis tolyn ir tolyn į ateitį, laukdamas tinkamiausio laiko? Į visus klausimus žmogui norisi rasti atsakymus, tačiau ar gali būti, kad Homo sapiens pergudravo Anguilla anguilla?..

Nors esu ilgamečio žvejo-entuziasto anūkė, 200+ puslapių ilgio knygą apie žuvis pasiėmiau, pripažinsiu, tik vedama tokio paties žmogiško smalsumo (visgi, ant viršelio puikuojasi su žuvų istorija retai kada siejamas „Tarptautinis bestseleris Nr.1“ skelbimas), apie kurį šioje knygoje tiek daug kalbama. Pasirodo, tiksliai tiek šiai knygai ir pakanka – paprasčiausio žmogiško smalsumo. Nes tik dėl jo jau nuo Aristotelio laikų žmogus klausia – kas gi yra tas europinis ungurys? Kaip jis dauginasi, kaip gimsta ir kaip miršta? Koks iš tiesų gyvenimas to, kuris gali skaičiuoti ne tik dešimtmečius, bet ir šimtmečius? Ar ungurys – tikrai tik žuvis, kaip kad esame pratę manyti? Kuo jis susijęs su Froidu ir seksualumo tyrinėjimais, Jėzumi, literatūra, vaikiškomis pasakomis, žmogaus prigimtimi ir visais (ne)žmogiškais ryšiais ir kodėl egzistuodamas keturiasdešimt milijonų metų, mokslui žengiant į neregėtas aukštumas, vis dar yra viena didžiausių gamtos mokslo, žmonijos paslapčių, peržengiančių mokslo ribas ir žengiančių į metafizikos teritoriją?

Nors gavau nepaprastai daug tiek biologinių, tiek tiesiog bendražmogiškų žinių, kurios tikiu, kad atneš džiaugsmo kiekvienam bendru savo išsilavinimu besirūpinančiam žmogui, pirmiausia turiu pastebėti, kad ši knyga – daugiau nei tiesiog vadovėlis apie ungurius su keliomis filosofinėmis priemaišomis. Gausi smulkmeniškai išnagrinėtos informacijos, tuo pat metu ji šiek tiek „Stouneriška“. Ji apie tuos, kurie ieško vietos Pasaulyje vieni, nieko nepaveldėję ir egzistenciškai neapsaugoti. Parašyta nepaprastai gražia, paslaptinga, ramia, tačiau tuo pat metu intriguojančia gaida, maža savo apimtimi, tačiau galinga pamąstymais, aiškiai įrodančiais, kad ungurius ir žmones sieja kur kas daugiau, nei galėtų pasirodyti iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Tai knyga apie universaliausias žmogiškąsias patirtis, savo paties egzistencijos suvokimą, mirties ir išnykimo reliatyvumą, apie bendražmogiškas (ir tikriausiai bendražuviškas, tačiau skaitant atrodo, kad ungurys yra kažkur tarp žuvies ir žmogaus, nes iki galo nepritampa nei prie tų, nei prie tų) savybes, apie klaidas, prasidedančias dar Biblijos aiškinimu ir besitęsiančias mituose, legendose, pasakose, istoriniuose prisiminimuose. Tai knyga, neprimenanti jokios kitos, kurią esu skaičiusi. Ta, kuria likau apžavėta ir įtikinta.

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would read a book about eels. It’s not a creature that has captured my curiosity. The one time I tried to eat one I found it abhorrent and never tried again.

I had no idea all European eels are hatched in the Sargasso Sea, that they travel across twice. That no grown eel, alive or dead, has ever been found there. That eels metamorphose several times. Fascinating!

Interspersed between the historical eel and biological facts are chapter about the author and his father fishing for eels. It’s an odd coming of age tale.

I found this book philosophical and endearing, covering a lot more than I had expected. Definitely recommended if you want something different and lightly educational.

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hogy az angolnáknak is meg lehet írni a kultúrtörténetét - hát ezt már mégse hittem volna. Mert mi is az angolna? Egy hal, ami csak azért nem lett kígyó, mert mégis inkább hal akart maradni. Nyálkás, csupasz dögevő, az iszapban tengeti életét férgek után kutatva. Közben meg az angolna a birtokosa az utolsó titkok egyikének a természettudományban: a Sargasso-tengerben születik, de kóborló vágyak űzik egészen Európa partjaiig, ahová akár három évig is eltarthat az utazása. Ott aztán felúszik a folyókba, üvegszerű teste bronzszínt ölt, megvastagszik, és elkezdni élni a maga csúszómászó életét. De egyszer csak, nem tudni miért és mikor, tíz év múlva, harminc év múlva, vagy akár ötven év múlva bekattan neki valami, és újra felébred benne a kóborlás vágya, csak épp most visszafelé. Úgyhogy lecsorog a folyón, amin érkezett, ismét tengeri lény lesz belőle, bronzbarna színét ezüstre cseréli, emésztőszervei visszafejlődnek, hogy átadják helyüket az ivarszerveknek*, és hosszú-hosszú, hónapokig tartó utazás után eltűnik valahol a Sargasso környékén. Pontosan nem tudjuk, mi történik vele, de egy biztos: hogy bár ő eltűnik, de helyette megjelennek utódai, az aprócska, üvegszerű lények, akik újrakezdik a körforgást.

Svensson kötete sodró tanulmány erről a halról, amiből megtudhatjuk, amit tudni lehet életmódjáról, szaporodásáról, valamit az ember-angolna kapcsolatról, amit néha az undor, néha pedig a kíváncsiság jellemzett**. (Néha pedig az, hogy megettük őket.) Továbbá érzékeny szöveg egy pusztuló környezetről, amely érzékenységet csak kiemeli, hogy a szerző bátran beemeli a műbe személyes élményeit, így okolva meg kötődését a témához. Sok szempontból kapcsolódik egyik legkedvesebb tavalyi olvasmányomhoz, Strøksnes Tengerkönyv-éhez, ugyanaz a lelkesedés, az ismeretlen megismerése utáni olthatatlan vágy irányítja. Másképp nézünk majd utána az angolnára. Kevésbé látjuk majd nyálkásnak. És egy kis pajkos fényt is felfedezünk majd a szemében. Bár nem tudom, az jó-e bárkinek.

* Mert bizony a bronzangolnának nincsenek ivarszervei - nem csoda, ha a tudósok tanácstalanul álltak a kérdés előtt, hogy akkor mégis hogy a túróba lesz egy angolnából sok angolna. Odadörzsöli magát egy kőhöz, és a levált bőrdarabkákból születnek gyermekei? Vagy simán az iszapból mászik elő? Esetleg lufiból hajtogatja magát?
** Svensson szellemes fejezetekben tárgyaljai, hogy Freud is 19 éves korában szakmányban boncolta ezeket a jószágokat, maga is a hiányzó ivarszervek után kutatva. A hiányzó ivarszervek miatti frusztráció után pedig már csak egy lépés az elfojtott szexualitás túldimenzionálása a pszichoanalízis folyamatában.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eels, actually, in the past they have only repulsed me. I have seen them, as slimy snakes that live in mud, swim and if need be perhaps they might chase a person up onto land. I knew they were amphibious. I had never eaten eel and didn’t want to. I knew that their breeding ground was the Sargasso Sea…..wherever that was?! My knowledge was, to say the least, scanty. I thought it time to learn more. Therefore, I picked up the book. That it was written by a Swedish author, appealed to my husband; we’d read it together, which would be fun.

I went into the book wanting to learn about the eel. What I have discovered is that still today remain many unanswered questions about them. They are threatened ecologically. Their numbers are diminishing rapidly. This book has made me curious to know more. It puts me among those urgently wanting to save them from extinction.

The book focuses primarily on the European eel. Although we think all eels breed and then die in the Sargasso Sea, this has NOT been seen, not even once. We know that eel metamorphize from larvae to glass eels (tender and fragile, transparent, two to three inches in length) to yellow eels (strong and sturdy, nocturnal hunters, denizens of freshwater streams where they reside year after year in one place, obstinately returning if moved) to silver eels. Silver eels travel back to where they were born, the Sargasso Sea, where they then breed and subsequently die. On their return journey to their place of birth, they do not eat. Their digestive system disintegrates while simultaneously reproductive organs grow.

The Sargasso Sea is a sea within a sea, bordered not by land masses but by ocean currents—the Gulf Stream to the west, the North Atlantic Drift to the north, the Canary Current to the east and the North Equatorial Current to the south. The sea is located slightly northeast of Cuba ad the Bahamas. American eels, of a different genetic composition than the European ones, leave the sea and travel to the rivers along the American coastline. European eels are carried by the Gulf Stream to Europe where the Basques favor these glass eels as a gourmet dish.

The author speaks of his fishing for eels as a youth with his father. He speaks of his grandmother, of old traditions and beliefs and the culture surrounding eel. His father and his grandmother die. The book takes a philosophical turn. The book is autobiographical and cultural and scientific and historical all in one. I didn’t like this at the start, but I did by the end. Each section fills out our perception and understanding of the eel. We learn about the many who have studied the eel—Sigmund Freud, Rachel Carson and the Danish biologist Johannes Schmidt, he who is credited with having discovered in 1920 that it was to the Sargasso Sea eels migrate to spawn. Contemporary authors and novels of relevance, such as Graham Swift and his Waterland, are brought up too. The information presented is thus wide in scope, but all is relevant and enhances our understanding of the eel.
.
Reading this has changed my view of the eel. I no longer look at them with disgust. Instead, I view them now with curiosity, fascination and admiration. The book has made clear to me why they must be kept alive and what will be lost if they should become extinct. Books such as this make people understand the importance of ecology and environmental conservation.

Alex Wyndham narrates the audiobook. His enunciation is for the most part clear. His pronunciation of Swedish locations had me so confused I had difficulty guessing what places he was referring to. His pronunciation of English words sometimes threw me too. Three stars for the narration.

***********************

*Under the Sea Wind 4 stars by Rachel Carson
*Waterland 4 stars by Graham Swift

[Ιωάννα Μπαμπέτα · Rating 4 out of 5]

Είναι ένα περίεργο βιβλίο. Είναι άλλωστε περίεργο και το θέμα. Ποιος ενδιαφέρεται για τα χέλια; Εγώ πάντως όχι. Κι όμως το αγόρασα και το διάβασα με μεγάλη ευχαρίστηση. Τελικά δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο για τα χέλια αλλά μια φιλοσοφική ιστορία που μιλά για τη ζωή και τον θάνατο, για την προσαρμογή, για τον αφανισμό, για την αποδοχή, για τον πόνο.
Το δεύτερο μισό του βιβλίου είναι πολύ δυνατό. Η σχέση του νεαρού πρωταγωνιστή με τον πατέρα του φωτίζεται με ένα γλυκό φως και συγκινεί.

[Brandon Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m fEELing it!
I’ve never read H Is For Hawk, but it’s the comparison my mind kept making as I read this. This book manages to be a combination of wonderful nature writing, a scientific history, a memoir about a father and son, and a rumination on origins and endings all at the same time. I learned things and marvelled at life; my creativity was sparked; and I was moved by the simple stories of a father and son fishing together. I’ve been obsessed by how little is known about eels ever since I read Lucy Cooke’s THE TRUTH ABOUT ANIMALS, and this book builds on that interest in a nuanced way. I’m officially an eel-head! An eelthusiast? We’ll workshop this.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those science/nature writing memoir blends. I tend to be more “I don’t care about your relationship with your dad, tell me more facts about the Eels!” but I thought the blend was effective. Every other chapter is memoir about the author’s boyhood spent eel fishing with his dad. The alternating chapters do include many eel facts, yes, but also discussions of the ways eels have been used in literature, the history of eel fishing communities, the philosophical underpinnings of The Eel Question that plagued figures as prominent as Aristotle and Freud, and ultimately ~what it means to be human~. I love this kind of thing. It’s very relaxing. Did you know that early puritan settlers survived by eating eels? On top of all the other lies we are fed about thanksgiving, we can add “they were actually eating eel not turkey” to the list.

I loved hearing about the ways the Japanese eel has evaded human efforts to farm it. The Japanese eel, unlike the American and European eel, spawns in a known location. (speaking of which, it was a little confusing how it kept saying ALL eels spawn in the sargasso sea, but then at the end we find out about this Japanese eels who spawns elsewhere, and what’s the deal with moray Eels and what is an electric eel? I am still lost on all that). Anyway, scientists managed to breed some eels, but the babies were all male. They forcefemmed them with estrogen, but the next generation was malformed and died within days. Gotta respect it when creatures evade human antics. However, as the final chapters remind us, eels are still suffering the effects of climate change etc.

The eel (specifically the Anquilla Anguilla, the European eel) changes so drastically in its life cycle that people thought they were each different species for hundreds of years. They spend part of their life in freshwater and saltwater and can even survive on land for a bit. The book ruminates on Eel’s ways of knowing and their perception of time. How does an eel navigate so far? How does an eel know when it’s time to change into the next stage of the life cycle? When eels are in captivity, they’ll often simply never reach sexual maturity. Are they doing this because they physically can’t in a captive environment? Is a captive environment missing a crucial cue/signal for change? Or is the refusal to transform an act of defiance?

Humans transform from a baby to an elderly person, and I do often wonder how it is our bodies “know” what to do during every stage in that process. Especially with things like childbirth, how does your body know when it’s time to give birth? How does the baby know when to flip around and how to go about being born? The process seems very complicated, but I did it once without knowing anything! Ancient innate magical knowledge that we all have I suppose. Eels, in contrast to humans which are passively drifting through time and the accompanying biological changes, can delay transformations. The word “delay” here suggests some agency, which I’m not sure we can ascribe. Though there’s no reason to believe an eel would not have agency either! Regardless of the eel’s choice in the matter, the book mentions studies of mature eels who go back to the sea and some are as young as 8 years old while some are 80. This means some eels completed their life cycle and multiple transformations within a very short time period, while some took almost a century to reach the same point. Why isn’t their crawl toward death tied to time in the same way that ours is? The closest human equivalent is when you have IVF embryos that were conceived at the same time but gestated and then born in different years. So you can have siblings that are 4 years apart in age or something that were once embryos at the same time.

Svensson anthropomorphizes Eels all throughout the book, but he does it with the full understanding that the ontology of eels differs wildly from human ways of being. He is channeling Rachel Carson’s writing, which makes heavy use of anthropomorphizing, in hopes that if an animal is discussed in terms we can understand/relate to, we will care more about them. It’s easy for humans to care about cute cuddly creatures, more difficult to get us to feel for slimy scaly long evil looking fish. I’d say Svensson was successful!

[Pernilla (ett_eget_rum) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Är förvånansvärt tagen av den här till synes märkliga boken. För hur spännande kan det vara med en bok om en fisk, som kanske inte är en fisk? Mycket spännande, visade det sig.
Det är lika mycket vetenskap om Ålen som en berättelse om en pojke och en pappa, och hur livet och döden väver dessa samman.
Runt mitten fastnade jag faktiskt och funderade på om jag skulle läsa vidare, men eftersom det ändå var en fascinerande historia fortsatte jag. Och det är jag glad för. Fint, vemodigt, sorgligt och väldigt intressant!
Lite klimatångest (eller ganska mycket faktiskt) utlovas om man är lagd åt det hållet.

[Johanna Lundin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Svag 3⭐ Jag var inte intresserad av ålen innan läsningen och blev inte det efteråt heller. Det var en för spretig bok för min smak med för många gubbar på jakt efter sanningen om ålden och för långa partier om ålens fortplantning. Det jag tyckte bäst om var beskrivningen av författarens relation med sin far och hade gärna sett en bok om den istället.

[Jūratė Baltušnikienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prieš kelias dienas Skaiva, čiauškėdama kaip iš gausybės rago, per M-1 surengė viktoriną apie ungurius.

Pasijaučiau žiauriai kieta ir į visus klausimus atsakiau kaip iš pypkės (bepigu, kai skaitai knygą apie šiuos gyvius):
1. Kur neršia unguriai? – Sargaso jūroje.
2. Kiek kartų neršia unguriai? – Neršia tik kartą per gyvenimą, po to žūva.
3. Koks gali būti maksimalus ungurio ilgis? – Iki 2 metrų.
4. Kiek ilgiausiai gali išgyventi ungurys? – Apie 25 metus.

– Mama, gal tu tikrai vieną kartą paskambink į M-1“, – patarė sūnus.
– Gal tiek to, neskambinsiu, bet tu įsikalk į galvą, kad knygose – šviesa, sūnau.😉

#bitėsrekomenduoja #patriksvensson #apieunguriusiržmones

[Vaiva Rykštaitė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jau kelis kartus draugės manė, kad juokauju, kai joms sakiau:

“Žinok, nerealiai įdomi knyga apie Europinių ungurių migraciją ir nerštą! Ne, ne romanas, tokia labiau gamtos istorijos…” 🤓😅

Bet aš nejuokauju. Ir sugalvok tu man šitaip. Įsivaizduoju kiek žmonių sukiojo pirštą prie smilkinio, autoriui pasigyrus, kad rašo apie ungurius. Nes tikrai nišinė tema, ir tuo pačiu tobulas pavyzdys kaip nišinė tema gali tapti pasauliniu bestseleriu. “Apie ungurius ir žmones” išversta į daugybę kalbų. Man tai vienas netikėčiausių ir geriausių net ne šių metų, o gyvenimo skaitinių. Nors turiu pripažinti, kad pati su unguriais jaučiu šiokį tokį ryšį nuo vaikystės (čia jau teks jums “Lizos butą” atsiversti, kad suprastumėt kodėl😌).

O tie unguriai! Net nenutuokiau, kad jie TOKIE paslaptingi ir ypatingi. Ungurio problema egzistuoja dar nuo Aristotelio laikų. Šioje knygoje ungurio tema apima ir bibliją, ir Froidą, ir JAV padėkos dieną ir literatūros kūrinius. Daug sužinojau, daug guglinau, užsimaniau perskaiyti Rachelės Carson “Tylusis Pavasaris”, o toje vietoje apie ungurį šulinyje Švedijoje tai tiesiog sulaikiau kvėpavimą. Ak, ir dar ta parelėje einanti autoriaus ir jo tėvo santykių linija, jautri ir viską įprasminanti ❤️

Žodžiu, absoliučiai žavinga, filosofiška, informatyvi, gili, bet nesudėtinga skaityti knyga. Ploju atsistojus ir visus rašančius skatinu kurti apie tai, kas JUMS iš tiesų įdomu, o ne ieškoti temų ant bangos.

Papasakokit, kokią visiškai random, nišine tema knygą skaitėt ar skaitot? Aš tai dievinu keistas temas, man viskas įdomu, ir unguriai, ir R. Kento “Salamina”, apie kelionę po Grenlandiją, ir M. Pollan knyga apie bulves ir tulpės, o dabar pradėjau skaityti apie Lakotos genties dvasingumą 🌏😵‍💫🤓

[Sintija Buhanovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iespējams, šī ir visneparastākā grāmata, kādu es esmu lasījusi. Vai es ņemtu lasīt darbu, kura nosaukumā ir vārds "zutis" un kas man vairāk saistītos ar zvejniecības metožu izklāstu? No otras puses, nosaukuma otrais vārds "evaņģēlijs" savukārt norāda, ka šī nebūs gan makšķernieku rokasgrāmata. Tad nu tā! Šī ir izcila grāmata, kurā apvienots stāsts par zuti, vienu no noslēpumainākajām dzīvības formām uz mūsu planētas, un paša autora ģimenes stāstu, kas pēc būtības ir stāsts par Zviedrijas vidusšķiras tapšanu 20. gadsimtā. Filozofiski un pētnieciski, loģiski un sistemātiski Patriks Svensons lasītāju ved ceļojumā cauri laikmetiem un pasaulēm, kas nebeidz mainīties, pārsteigt un pielāgoties. Aha, un te nu arī autors paskaidros, ka pietrūka pavisam nedaudz, lai vēsturē Zigmunda Freida vārds ieietu kā... zušu pētniekam!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Тази книга е обяснение в любов. Към змиорката, природата, науката, живота, но най-вече към един баща, който в далечна шведска провинция през 70-те години на ХХ век разкрива пред малкия си син магията на всички тези неща, докато двамата ловуват змиорки през лятото.



Змиорката е загадка, удивлявала човечеството през вековете с убягващата си същност. Аристотел е убеден, че змиорките се раждат от калта. Фройд се опитва да издири мъжка змиорка в ранните си дни на учен, като женска змиорка е била идентифицирана не чак толкова отдавна след много векове всевъзможни щури догадки. Датчанинът Шмит отделя 20 години от живота си, за да разбере откъде тръгват змиорките. Рейчъл Карсън се опитва да защити това уникално и тайнствено създание пред американския конгрес.

Змиорката и днес отказва да се развъжда в плен, за разлика от сьомгата например. Видът ѝ следва неизменна програма отпреди 40 милиона години:

🐟раждане като мъничка ларва в Саргасово море, носена от атлантическите течения чак до бреговете на Европа;

🐟🐟трансформация в прозрачна стъклена змиорка, навлизаща в сладководните реки и потоци на континента;

🐟🐟🐟превръщане в самотна жълта змиорка, обитаваща реки и езера между 10 и 50 години (а някои и над 100, според легендите);

🐟🐟🐟🐟и когато удари часът да се се създаде следващото поколение, се превръща в сребърна змиорка и поема обратно към океана и към далечното Саргасово море, за да не се завърне никога повече.

Това самотно, грозновато, тайнствено създание (което всъщност е риба!) е част от кухнята и културата ни от хилядолетия. Без нито веднъж да позволи намеса в личния си живот. И е на път все така тихо са си иде, ако замърсяването и шлюзовете, пречещи на миграцията ѝ, не намалеят.

Свенсон проследява с много топлота, простичко и с доза хумор, културните, кулинарните, историческите, биологичните и даже политическите препратки към змиорката. Всяка глава се редува с портрет на променяща се Швеция, вплетен в спомен от детския лов на змиорки и разговорите, отношенията и преживяванията сред природата между бащата и малкия му син. До неизбежния им край.

А пътят на човека и на змиорката е неочаквано сходен - защото и човекът минава през тези четири змиоркови метаморфози, като почти цялото изкуство и наука са посветени на някоя малка тяхна частица.

[Lita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ja kāds man kādreiz būtu teicis, ka grāmata par zušiem būs aizraujoša, es nekad neticētu. Bet dzīvē kā jau dzīvē ir veselīgi, kad mūsu stereotipiskie pieņēmumi izrādās nepareizi. Patriks Svensons savā debijas (!!!) grāmatā mūs aizved gan savas, gan zušu dzīves un pastāvēšanas līkloču izzināšanā. Man kā pētnieciei bija ļoti interesanti lasīt dažādu laiku un paaudžu dabas pētnieku neražas zušu dzīves cikla izpētē. Un pārsteidzošā kārtā mēs vēl joprojām esam ieguvuši salīdzinoši maz pierādījumos balstītu faktu par zušiem. Autors, protams, neaprobežojas tikai ar zušu bioloģiju, bet ieslīgst arī pārspriedumos par zušiem mitoloģijā, literatūrā un kur tik vēl ne. Zušu stāstam paralēli tiek šķetinātas arī autora attiecības ar savu tēvu, kas (pārsteigums!) lielā mērā ir saistītas ar zušu makšķerēšanu. Ja jūs vēlāties uzzināt ātrāko veidu, ka tikt pie daudz sliekām savā piemājas dārziņā, tad šajā grāmatā var iepazīties ar pārsteidzoši efektīvu (lai arī ne pārāk drošu) metodi.

Jo dziļāk grāmatā, jo stāsts kļūst tumšāks. Protams, ka zuši ir viena no šobrīd apdraudētajām sugām un, protams, ka mūsu vecāki nedzīvo mūžīgi. Droši vien katrai dzīvnieku un augu sugai noderētu savs personīgais stāstnieks (un zušiem šķiet ir vairāk kā viens), lai aktualizētu cilvēku rīcību ietekmi uz dabas vidi. Pat ja neesi zivju cilvēks, šis stāsts tev iespējams patiks.

[Pietrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cos'ha l'anguilla di così particolare? Come mai non è possibile allevarla?

Il libro risponde a questa e ad altre domande dell'autore su un animale disgusto, dando origine ad un libro schifosamente bello.

Qui vi spiego perché: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rbf2...

[Kristīne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lasīju latviski, Zvaigznei netipisks izdevums šajā žanrā. It kā non-fics, bet poētiskais, it kā par zušiem, bet kā parasti, par cilvēkiem.

Patika trillera cienīgā intriga, kā tad ar tiem zušiem ir patiesībā? Vai tiešām mēs 21.gs tik maz zinām? Katras nodaļas beigās gribēju googlēt kādu dabas doķeni, bet turējos līdz beigām. Joprojām neesmu pārbaudījusi.

Pasaule ir brīnumu pilna, bet brīnumi tie ir mūsu acīm. Dažreiz tā ir tikai bioloģija. Tāpat ar traģēdiju. Jau grāmatas sākumā ieripo kamols kaklā, un skaidrs, ka šī nebūs parasta uzziņu literatūra. Kaut kur starp dabas faktu nodaļām ir stāsts par skaistu dzīvi un tās lēnu bojāeju, neizskaidrojamu, bet arī nemaināmu. Vai par zušiem? Par to būs jāizlasa pašam.

Silti iesaku šo izdevumu atbalstīt ar savu maciņu, lai izdevniecībai ir gandarījums vēl vairāk strādāt pie šī populārzinātniskā - bet ar dvēseli - žanra.

[Guna Federe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es nevaru izskaidrot, kāpēc izlēmu lasīt "Zuša evaņģēlijs", jo makšķerēšanas romantisms man nav tuvs, bet nojautu, ka grāmata būs kas vairāk par zivju ķeršanu un bija arī. Galvenais, protams, ir zutis un viņa metamorfozes, zutis un viņa noslēpums, zutis un viņa iznīcinātājs. Atceros, ka pagājušajā (2020.) gadā Pasaules Dabas Fonds aicināja "Sargi zuti ar aizvērtu muti", jo zutis mirst klimata pārmaiņu ietekmē, un labi zinām, kas par to ir atbildīgs!!! Arī par to šajā grāmatā!
Taču kā klusa nopūta dziļi aizskāra tieši autora atmiņas par viņu kā mazu zēnu un viņa tēva kopā būšanu upmalā, iemetot naktsšņores, uz kuru āķa uzķerties zutim. Makšķerēšana bija viņu vissvarīgākais kopā būšanas laiks.

"Upe iemiesoja viņa sākotni, pazīstamo un zināmo, to, pie kā viņš allaž atgriezās. Taču zutis, kas peldēja tur, apslēptībā, un reizumis parādījās mums, iemiesoja ko citu. Tas drīzāk bija atgādinājums, cik maz mēs tomēr zinām - par zuti vai par cilvēku, par to, no kurienes esam nākuši un uz kurieni esam ceļā."

[Seher Andaç · Rating 5 out of 5]

İsveç’te bir çiftlik hayal edin. İçinden geçen dereyi de unutmayın. İşte o derenin kıyısında yazar Patrik Svensson babasıyla yılanbalığı avlayarak büyüdü. Ben nereden mi biliyorum; yazdığı bu harika kitapta anlatmış oradan öğrendim.
Yılanbalığı ve insan arasındaki çok çok uzun yıllara yayılmış saklambaç oyununu, babasıyla paylaştığı yılanbalığı avcılığıyla bağlamış. O yüzden iki hayat okuyoruz: Patrik’in ve yılanbalığının.
İnsanın, istilacı bir tür olarak hem yerküre üzerinde hem de atmosferde sebep olduğu olumsuz değişimin bir sebebi de merak duygusu, peşine düştüğü sorular. Yılanbalığının Yolunu okurken, insanın hem sebep hem de tanık olduğunu fark ettim.
Ben taşralı Patrik’in üniversite için şehre gitse bile her yaz eve dönmesine ve babasıyla yılanbalığı avlamaya devam etmesine çok özendim. İmrendim.
Kitabı okumuş olmam, şansım ve tek tesellim…
…
Kitabı okurken tesadüf mü algıda benim seçiciliğim mi, Van gölüne özgü İnci kefalini radyodan dinledim. İnci kefalinin de kitabı yazılmış, mutlaka okuyacağım:)

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of Eels is part science history, part memoir. The chapters alternate between longer ones detailing the long and largely futile efforts of the scientific community to understand even the most basic information about these elusive creatures, and shorter chapters with poignant memories of the author's experiences eel fishing with his father as a boy. The structure helped accentuate what I found to be the book's biggest takeaway - the quest for the eel is, ultimately, a quest for ourselves.

[Pavelas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sužinojau daug apie ungurius. Autorius geras publicistas, ir mokslinė ungurių dalis skaitėsi labai įdomiai, panašiai kaip National Geographic žurnalo išplėstinis straipsnis. O štai persipynimas su žmogiškąja linija apie autoriaus šeimą, mano skoniui, nebuvo labai vykęs. Gražiai vietomis palyginta, bet toks jausmas, kad į visumą sumaišyti dalykai, kuriuos geriau būtų palikti skyrium. Vis tik, nors ir turiu priekaištų, už skaitymo malonumą duodu 4.

[Ugnė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dar apie meilę tėčiui ir sūnui - tokią kasdienę ir savaime suprantamą, kad lengva pamiršti, kiek gelmės ji turi.
Ir apie aistrą ir prasmę, kai negali paaiškinti, kodėl, kam, kaip, bet tau taip reikia ir tu tą darysi, net jei visi kiti ir nesupras, kodėl, kam, kaip.
O labiausiai - apie Žemę kaip neįmintų paslapčių gyvenvietę.

Labai graži ir, paisant ir nepaisant visų mokslinių faktų, tyrimų ir atpasakojimų, poetiška knyga.

[Ghada D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crying because this was amazing and now I finished it and don't have my daily dose of eel content anymore

[Lauren]

• THE BOOK OF EELS: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World by Patrik Svensson, translated from the Swedish by Agnes Broomé, 2019/2020

#ReadTheWorld21 📍Sweden

I've had a challenging relationship with "nature memoirs" in the past, as I usually prefer the *nature* more than the memoir. Some work well - like Hope Jahren's LAB GIRL - and others disappoint like Juli Berwald's SPINELESS. Some like Kimmerer's BRAIDING SWEETGRASS end up being all-time favorites...

Thankfully BOOK OF EELS was a resoundingly beautiful book about the weird, elusive and mysterious eel, but also about family relationships with a working class / conservationist vibe.

The sea and landscapes of the western Atlantic / Caribbean Sargasso Sea (where eels are believed to be born) and their migration patterns to continental Europe and Scandinavia, where Svensson and his father encounter them on southern Sweden's coasts.

Sigmund Freud studied eels before he went into psychology... Rachel Carson was fascinated by this underwater species. Eels appear in many world mythologies and legends, but very little is known about their life cycles, their mating, even how long they live (some records say 70 to 80 years or more!)... and perhaps that's why they never quite feel "of this world", we just don't know them.

Svensson says, “We need enigmas. We need questions that aren’t answered yet. Eels argue with our confidence that the world is explained.”

🌊 Highly recommended for nature and history lovers!