NATURE WRITERS # 3 – EDWARD ABBEY

Now yes, this time it is a man. But a man who perfectly fits the American expression “larger than life”. Edward Abbey was a man of action, who wrote about what he did and said what he thought. For me, beyond his link to the protection of the natural environment and his enormously accessible, direct and truthful writing, what better captivates me is his disruptive character, his adventurous soul and that anarchic and solitary spirit of the authentic freethinker, always swimming against the current.

Politically incorrect, he was infatuated with the Greek Cynics and was an expert on the teachings of Diogenes, his most popular representative. In fact, already in the second half of the IV century BC, these philosophers of freedom denounced consumerism and the degradation of human society and encouraged people to return to basics and reconnect with nature. Edward practiced those teachings until the day he died. Some may not consider him a Nature Writer, but from my point of view, he embodies, like few others, the free spirit of rivers, the undeniable presence of rocks and the survival instinct inherent in any living being.

There are several readings that I would recommend from him. Without a doubt, the one that brought me closer to the person and his unconditional love for nature is his essay “Desert solitaire”, which recounts his days as a Forest Ranger at Arches National Monument Park in Utah. The chapter on minerals is a gem.

“The Monkey Wrench Gang” is possibly his most popular novel and the one that made him a myth of counterculture and environmental activism. This wacky story filled with adventure, humor, and sabotage was inspired by the lives of many real activists that Edward met during his fight against the Glen Canyon Dam. As I said, he wrote about what he knew.

To finish, a rare gem of anarchist thought, embodied by a lonely cowboy, which Kirk Douglas brought to the cinema, in one of the best adaptations of a novel that the history of cinema has given. The novel is called “The brave cowboy”, the movie “Lonely are the brave”. With Walter Matthau, the great Gena Rowlands and Kirk Douglas himself in the cast. Curiously, this film is not very well known. Possibly because of the political ideas it conveys, but if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. Also noteworthy is the presence of a beautiful mare, who shares the cast with the rest of the actors. A marvel.

I can’t deny that I would have loved to accompany Edward on one of his sabotage missions. Gaze at the stars together on lonely nights in the Utah desert, or go down the rapids of some unknown river and name a rock or a beach on the riverbank. I don’t think it was necessary to talk. Not if he didn’t want to. Our conversation would be with the landscape. An inexhaustible conversation full of teachings, away from the chatter of cities and their debased inhabitants.