Barry Holstun Lopez (January 6, 1945 – December 25, 2020) was an American author, essayist, nature writer, and fiction writer whose work is known for its humanitarian and environmental concerns. In a career spanning over 50 years, he visited more than 80 countries, and wrote extensively about a variety of landscapes including the Arctic wilderness, exploring the relationship between human cultures and nature. He won the National Book Award for Nonfiction for Arctic Dreams (1986) and his Of Wolves and Men (1978) was a National Book Award finalist.[1] He was a contributor to magazines including Harper's Magazine, National Geographic, and The Paris Review.
Barry Lopez | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1945 Port Chester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 25, 2020 (aged 75) Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame (BA, MA) |
| Notable works | Of Wolves and Men (1978) Arctic Dreams (1986) |
Early life
editLopez was born Barry Holstun Brennan on January 6, 1945, in Port Chester, New York,[2][3] to Mary Frances (née Holstun) and John Brennan. His family moved to Reseda, California after the birth of his brother, Dennis, in 1948. He attended grade school at Our Lady of Grace during this time.[4] His parents divorced in 1950, after which his mother married Adrian Bernard Lopez, a businessman, in 1955. Adrian Lopez adopted Barry and his brother, and they both took his surname.[3] Barry Lopez experienced years of sexual abuse as the victim of a serial child molester posing as a doctor who went by the name Harry Shier.[5][6]
When Lopez was 11, his family relocated to Manhattan, where he attended the Loyola School, graduating in 1962.[3] As a young man, Lopez considered becoming a Catholic priest or a Trappist monk[3] before attending the University of Notre Dame, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees there in 1966 and 1968.[3] He also attended New York University and the University of Oregon.[2] Although he drifted away from Catholicism, daily prayer remained important to him as a continuous, respectful attendance to the presence of the Divine.[5]
Career and works
editLopez's essays, short stories, reviews and opinion pieces began to appear in 1966.[7] In his career of over 50 years, he traveled to over 80 countries, writing extensively about distant and exotic landscapes including the Arctic wilderness, exploring the relationships between human cultures and wild nature.[3][8] Through his works, he also highlighted the harm caused by human actions on nature.[9] He was a contributing editor of Harper's Magazine and a contributor to many magazines including National Geographic, The Paris Review, and Outside.[3][10] Until 1981, he was also a landscape photographer.[11] In 2002, he was elected a fellow of The Explorers Club.[12]
Arctic Dreams (1986) describes five years in the Canadian Arctic, where Lopez worked as a biologist.[3][13] Robert Macfarlane, reviewing the book in The Guardian, describes him as "the most important living writer about wilderness".[13] In The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani argued that Arctic Dreams "is a book about the Arctic North in the way that Moby-Dick is a novel about whales".[14]
A number of Lopez's works, including Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter (1978), make use of Native American legends, including characters such as Coyote.[15] Crow and Weasel (1990) thematizes the importance of metaphor, which Lopez described in an interview as one of the definitive "passion[s]" of humanity.[16]
James I. McClintock describes Lopez as an admirer of Wendell Berry.[17] McClintock further observes, referring to Arctic Dreams, that Lopez "conjoin[s] ecological science and romantic insight".[18] Slovic identifies "careful structure, euphony, and an abundance of particular details" as central characteristics of Lopez's work.[19]
His final work published during his lifetime was Horizon (2019), an autobiographical telling of his travels over his lifetime.[20] The Guardian describes the book as "a contemporary epic, at once pained and urgent, personal and oracular".[21] A collection of essays, some of which had previously been published and others of which were new to the public, was published posthumously by Penguin Random House under the title Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World (2022), with an introduction by Rebecca Solnit.[22]
An archive of Lopez's manuscripts and other work has been established at Texas Tech University,[23] where he was the university's Visiting Distinguished Scholar.[12][24] He also taught at universities including Columbia University, Eastern Washington University, University of Iowa, and Carleton College, Minnesota.[3]
Bibliography
editFiction
edit- Desert Notes: Reflections in the Eye of a Raven. Sheed, Andrews & McMeel. 1976. ISBN 0-8362-0661-4. OCLC 2089496.[25]
- Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America. Sheed Andrews and McMeel. 1977. ISBN 0-8362-0726-2. OCLC 3433348.[26]
- River Notes: The Dance of Herons. Andrews and McMeel. 1979. ISBN 0-8362-6106-2. OCLC 5170658.[27]
- Winter Count. Scribner. 1981. ISBN 0-684-16817-0. OCLC 7178782.[28] Distinguished Recognition Award, Friends of American Writers[29]
- Crow and Weasel. North Point Press. 1990. ISBN 0-86547-439-7. OCLC 21118849.[30] Parents' Choice Award[31]
- Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren. Alfred A. Knopf. 1994. ISBN 0-679-43453-4. OCLC 29754729. Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award,[32] Critics' Choice Award[11]
- Lessons from the Wolverine. University of Georgia Press. 1997. ISBN 0-8203-1927-9. OCLC 36165237.[33]
- Light Action in the Caribbean: Stories. Random House. 2000. ISBN 0-679-31076-2. OCLC 43929944.[34]
- Resistance. Alfred A. Knopf. 2004. ISBN 1-4000-4220-8. OCLC 53477173.[35]
- Outside: Six Short Stories. Trinity University Press. 2014. ISBN 978-1-59534-189-1. OCLC 855580539.[36]
Nonfiction
edit- Of Wolves and Men. Scribner. 1978. ISBN 0-684-15624-5. OCLC 3843350.[37] National Book Award finalist, John Burroughs Medal,[38] Christopher Medal,[15] Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award[15][39][40]
- Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape. Scribner. 1986. ISBN 978-0-375-72748-1. OCLC 48071476.[41] National Book Award,[1] National Book Critics Circle Award finalist[42]
- Crossing Open Ground. Vintage Books. 1989. ISBN 0-679-72183-5. OCLC 18987292.[43]
- The Rediscovery of North America. Vintage Books. 1992. ISBN 0-679-74099-6. OCLC 25788222.[44]
- About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory. Random House. 1998. ISBN 0-679-30944-6. OCLC 38757150.[45]
- Apologia. University of Georgia Press. 1998. ISBN 0-8203-2004-8. OCLC 37820073.[46]
- Horizon. Penguin Random House. 2019. ISBN 978-0-307-35599-7. OCLC 1077254235.[47][48][49][50]
- Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World. Random House. 2022. ISBN 978-0593242827. Introduction by Rebecca Solnit.[51]
Anthology
edit- Vintage Lopez. Vintage Books. 2004. ISBN 1-4000-3398-5. OCLC 52410107.[52]
Edited volumes
edit- Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape. Trinity University Press. 2006. ISBN 1-59534-024-6. OCLC 70167626.[53]
- The Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine. Milkweed Editions. 2007. ISBN 978-1-57131-306-5. OCLC 141187889.[54]
Awards and honors
edit- National Book Award[55][1]
- Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters[56]
- Lannan Literary Award[57]
- Guggenheim Fellowship[56]
- John Burroughs Medal[58]
- Two Pushcart Prizes[59]
- National Science Foundation Fellowship[60]
- MacDowell Colony Residency Fellowship[61]
- Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award[62]
- Elected Fellow of the Explorers Club[60]
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Whittier College[63]
Personal life
editLopez's first marriage to Sandra Landers in 1967 ended in a divorce in 1998. He married Debra Gwartney in 2007.[3] After the property surrounding their long-term home near Finn Rock on the McKenzie River in western Oregon was burned in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, the couple moved temporarily to Eugene, Oregon.[64][3]
Lopez died on December 25, 2020, from complications of prostate cancer, in Eugene, Oregon.[65][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Barry Lopez". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Evans, Alice (March 1994). "Leaning into the Light: An Interview with Barry Lopez". Poets & Writers. 22 (2): 62–79. ProQuest 1311697040.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McFadden, Robert D. (December 27, 2020). "Barry Lopez, Lyrical Writer Who Was Likened to Thoreau, Dies at 75". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Tydeman, William (2013). Conversations with Barry Lopez. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780806150482.
- ^ a b Ehrenreich, Ben (May 31, 2022). "Barry Lopez Urged Us to Pay Attention to a Burning World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Lopez, Barry (January 2013). "Sliver of Sky". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Barry Lopez: An Inventory of His Papers (Part 1), 1964–2001 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library". Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
- ^ "Barry Lopez". Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Lopez, Barry. "Barry Lopez, Acclaimed Author And Traveler Beyond Many Horizons, Dies At 75". NPR.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Barry Lopez's Horizon is a masterpiece of a reminder to do better". vancouversun. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Newell, Mike (2008). No Bottom: In Conversation with Barry Lopez. XOXOX Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-880977-07-1. OCLC 181335874.
- ^ a b Who's Who in America, 2009. Vol. 1. Marquis Who's Who. 2008. p. 3026. OCLC 1036970200.
- ^ a b Macfarlane, Robert (April 2, 2005). "Robert Macfarlane on Barry Lopez". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Kakutani, Michiko (February 12, 1986). "Books of the Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Slovic 1992, p. 142.
- ^ McClintock 1994, p. 141.
- ^ McClintock 1994, p. 143.
- ^ Slovic 1992, p. 143.
- ^ "Barry Lopez, award-winning Arctic Dreams author, has died aged 75". the Guardian. Associated Press. December 27, 2020. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Horizon by Barry Lopez review – magnificent on the natural world, and furious too". the Guardian. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/672448/embrace-fearlessly-the-burning-world-by-barry-lopez/
- ^ "The Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World". Swco.ttu.edu. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ "Barry Lopez – News". www.barrylopez.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
- ^ Ackerman, Mary Ellen (1977). "Desert Notes: Reflections in the Eye of a Raven by Barry Holstun Lopez". Western American Literature. 12 (2): 166–168. doi:10.1353/wal.1977.0058. ISSN 1948-7142. S2CID 165511052.
- ^ Hymes, Dell H. (1979). "Lopez, 'Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping With His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America' (Book Review)". Western Humanities Review. 33 (1): 73. ProQuest 1291780352.
- ^ "Barry Lopez". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Winter Count". Kirkus Reviews. April 1, 1981. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Friends of American Writers Chicago Literature Awards". www.fawchicago.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ "Crow and Weasel". Kirkus Reviews. October 5, 1990. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Pohrt, Tom. "Tom Pohrt Archive (1980–2004, bulk 1990–2004)". quod.lib.umich.edu. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association 1995 Book Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2014.
- ^ Levin, Martin (October 11, 1997). "Of men and wolverines". The Globe and Mail. p. D17. ProQuest 384795652.
- ^ "Light Action in the Caribbean". Kirkus Reviews. November 8, 2000. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Resistance". Kirkus Reviews. June 13, 2004. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Outside". Kirkus Reviews. March 8, 2014. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Macdonald, David W. (April 1980). "Of Wolves and Men, by Barry Lopez. Dent, £7.95. – Coyotes: Biology, Behaviour and Management, edited by Marc Bekoff. Academic Press, £23.70". Oryx. 15 (3): 296. doi:10.1017/S0030605300024765. ISSN 0030-6053.
- ^ "JBA Medal Award List". research.amnh.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Noble, Barnes &. "John Burroughs Medal, Science & Nature Awards, Books". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Commencement Ceremony Features Author Barry Lopez". www.coa.edu. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Hoagland, Edward (February 16, 1986). "From the Land Where Polar Bears Fly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "National Book Critics Circle Award past winners and finalists". Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ Aton, Jim (1988). "Crossing Open Ground by Barry Lopez (review)". Western American Literature. 23 (3): 285–286. doi:10.1353/wal.1988.0115. ISSN 1948-7142. S2CID 165754150.
- ^ McIvor, D. E. (1993). "The Rediscovery of North America by Barry Lopez (review)". Western American Literature. 27 (4): 379. doi:10.1353/wal.1993.0119. ISSN 1948-7142. S2CID 165261722.
- ^ Flower, Dean (1999). "Nature Does Not Exist for Us". The Hudson Review. 52 (2): 305–312. doi:10.2307/3853424. JSTOR 3853424.
- ^ Burnside, John. "The beauty of roadkill". New Statesman. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Horizon by Barry Lopez. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- ^ MacFarlane, Robert (March 14, 2019). "Horizon by Barry Lopez review – magnificent on the natural world, and furious too". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Klinkenborg, Verlyn (September 26, 2019). "The Voice of the Landscape". The New York Review of Books. ISSN 0028-7504. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Burnett, Elizabeth-Jane (March 20, 2020). "Horizon by Barry Lopez book review". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Ehrenreich, Ben (May 31, 2022). "Barry Lopez Urged Us to Pay Attention to a Burning World". New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Lopez, Barry Holstun (2004). Vintage Lopez. Vintage Books. ISBN 1-4000-3398-5. OCLC 52410107. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert (December 3, 2006). "A Landscape of Words". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Lopez, Barry, ed. (2007). The future of nature: writing on a human ecology from Orion magazine (1st ed.). Minneapolis, Minn.: Milkweed Editions. ISBN 978-1-57131-306-5. OCLC 141187889. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Barry Lopez, award-winning Arctic Dreams author, has died aged 75". the Guardian. Associated Press. December 27, 2020. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Barry Lopez". Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Barry Lopez". Lannan Foundation. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (December 23, 2020). "Barry Lopez Wins 'Writer in the World' Prize". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ McCurdy, Christen (December 26, 2020). "National Book Award-winning author Barry Lopez dead at 75". United Press International. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Barry Lopez Awarded UT Austin's Dobie Paisano International Residency Prize". UT News. University of Texas at Austin. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Tydeman, William E. (August 26, 2013). Conversations with Barry Lopez: Walking the Path of Imagination. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-8061-5048-2.
- ^ Novak, Theresa. "Literary masters get set to shine". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees". www.whittier.edu. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Wadsworth, Lois (April 25, 2002). "Between Two Worlds". Eugene Weekly. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
- ^ Blanchard, Dave (December 26, 2020). "Barry Lopez, Acclaimed Author And Traveler Beyond Many Horizons, Dies At 75". NPR. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
Sources
edit- McClintock, James I. (1994). Nature's Kindred Spirits: Aldo Leopold, Joseph Wood Krutch, Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard, and Gary Snyder. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-14173-8. OCLC 550516714.
- Slovic, Scott (1992). Seeking Awareness in American Nature Writing: Henry Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez. University of Utah Press. ISBN 0-585-10655-X. OCLC 43475967.
Further reading
edit- Newell, Mike (2008). No Bottom: In Conversation with Barry Lopez. XOXOX Press. ISBN 978-1-880977-07-1. OCLC 181335874.
- O'Connell, Nicholas (1998). At the Field's End: Interviews with 22 Pacific Northwest Writers. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-97723-X. OCLC 39478063.
- O'Connell, Nicholas (2015). On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-99478-9. OCLC 911591750.
- Tydeman, William E. (2013). Conversations with Barry Lopez: Walking the Path of Imagination. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-4407-8. OCLC 841557756.
- Warren, James Perrin (2015). Other Country: Barry Lopez and the Community of Artists. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-3232-2. OCLC 933516717.
- Wang, Amy (December 26, 2020). "Barry Lopez, award-winning and influential Oregon author, dies at 75". The Oregonian.
- Wild, Peter (1984). Barry Lopez. Boise State University Press. ISBN 0-88430-038-2. OCLC 10984800.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Barry Lopez discography at Discogs
- Interview with Bill Moyers
- Interview with Terry Gross
- Interview with Barry Lopez about the adaptation of Crow and Weasel for the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, ALL ABOUT KIDS! TV Series #157 (1994)
- Interview with Barry Lopez, A DISCUSSION WITH National Authors on Tour TV Series, Episode #34 (1993)
- Interview with Barry Lopez, A DISCUSSION WITH National Authors on Tour TV Series, Episode #108 (1994)
