Fen, Bog and Swamp

‘So often feared, dredged and drained, swamps, bogs and fens (it turns out) are just as vital to our species’ survival on this planet as healthy forests and oceans – perhaps more so. Proulx has written a moving elegy and cri de coeur for our world’s wetlands. I learned something new – and found something amazing – on every page’ Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See

‘Talk about seeing the whole world through a single well-chosen window! Annie Proulx is, as ever, remarkable – her mind, her heart and her learning take us on an unforgettable and unflinching tour of past and present, fixed on a subject that could not be more important. A compact classic!’ Bill McKibben

‘Annie Proulx has brought nature full circle in her short history, Fen, Bog, and Swamp … We must understand and restore these vital ecosystems to protect our future’ Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of To Speak for the Trees

‘Proulx wants us to see the loss of wetlands – and to appreciate the beauty in these swampy and often stinking places. Boy, does she succeed. The prose is just magnificent, bringing to life hitherto overlooked habitats’ Guardian

‘Annie Proulx’s sparkling book Fen, Bog & Swamp will open your eyes to humanity’s reckless trashing of wetlands in the name of ‘improvement’’ Telegraph

‘A haunting tribute to the world’s peatlands … Proulx’s poetic description of these places, and peat itself, is a pleasure to read’ Financial Times

‘Proulx’s astute and impassioned examinations of all kinds of wetlands … show a new side of the novelist we thought we knew’ Los Angeles Times

‘An enchanting work of nature writing and a rousing call to action’ Esquire

‘Writing with her signature vitality, precision, and creativity, she crafts a galvanizing narrative … Proulx’s concern for the future of life on earth as the planet warms is acute’ Booklist

Annie Proulx is the author of nine books, including the novel The Shipping News, Barkskins and the story collection Close Range. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and a PEN/Faulkner award. Her story ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ which originally appeared in The New Yorker, was made into an Academy Award-winning film. She lives in New Hampshire.