On their way from source to mouth, they create a huge network on the continents of our world. Rivers shape landscapes, provide living space, and are water sources and transport routes at the same time. After exploring mountains, ancient paths and the world underground, Robert Macfarlane, the master of nature writing, now takes us to the water.
Everything begins on the Brit’s “front door” with the springs that feed a network of chalk streams in his homeland. A few pages later the reader is standing in a high camp in the cloud forest of Los Cedros in Ecuador. First stop on an almost global journey to rivers that are threatened in various ways and represent the environmental destruction caused by humans. In the case of the Rio Los Cedros it is mining. Life in the Adyar and Cooum rivers near the Indian water city of Chennai is dying due to toxic sewage. The construction of dams, however, has dramatic consequences on the Magpie River in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Macfarlane has traveled to all three regions, no matter how far away and remote they are. Always at his side are people who are committed to protecting the rivers. Like the mushroom expert Giuliana, the hermit DeCoux, the naturalist and water activist Yuvan, the geographer Wayne and representatives of an indigenous people. The author describes the efforts of the environmental movement for the rights of nature and argues that rivers should not only be viewed as pure resources, but also as independent beings and legal entities. Can this valuable habitat be protected by law and thanks to a special nature treaty? This question runs through the work like a common thread.
Robert Macfarlane is both explainer and reporter. He not only demonstrates good senses, but also a complete devotion to all living things – whether human, animal or plant. His book is sometimes an essay, sometimes a report, combining poignant life stories and impressive landscape descriptions and combining knowledge with personal experiences and emotions. The way he puts the visible, his thoughts and feelings into words is unprecedented – precise, pictorial and poetic at the same time. “Are rivers living creatures?” is an impressive book that captivates, touches and teaches a lot. It is an intense plea for nature and a masterful and unforgettable book for generations. Constanze Matthes
Robert Macfarlane:
Are rivers living creatures?
Ullstein Publishing. 416 pages, €29.99