Simon Barnes: How to Be Wild
November 25, 2007 by Leena
A fair number of books about wilderness have come out in 2007. I have yet to read the others, but I’m guessing How to Be Wild is at the most accessible end of these. A record of a year in the life of a keen amateur naturalist, it is a collection of personal anecdotes and general observations, divided into short, snappy chapters and told in a chatty, colloquial style (some may find the swearing a little unnecessary) with occasional raptures thrown in (as here, on nightingales: ‘It is the song of everything: it is the song of all birds: it is the song of all life: it is the song of the earth, and of the heavens, too’).
How to Be Wild is a needed reminder that in the modern world it is far too easy to cut ourselves off from the wild, and that we are hurting ourselves by doing so. It reminds us to seek out - and watch out for - the wild in all places. Barnes contrasts his recollections of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia with scenes from his home in Suffolk, and neither of these places is declared the more valuable for being more or less wild. Not surprisingly - considering that Barnes has also written a book titled How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher - this book is brimming with bird-talk, and birds are an excellent emblem for the kind of nature-awareness that he advocates. The birds twittering in a suburban garden are part of ‘Unofficial Nature’: seemingly ordinary, (too) easy to forget, but none the less wild for that. The food we eat bears little resemblance to its source; we are so isolated that our healthy fear of danger is transformed into a fear of all things remotely natural. ‘We lose our sense of trust in the wild world: we begin to forget that we need it. We impoverish ourselves and then we begin to consider it an enrichment.’
In my case Barnes is preaching to the converted, but he has inspired me to start birdwatching. If he calls himself a ‘good bad birdwatcher’, I am a very bad bad one - ever keen to get my ancient pair of binoculars and observe birds doing strange things in the garden (sparrows squabbling, a pigeon chasing away a squirrel and being chased away by two squirrels in return, a young crow destroying our flowerbeds by delightedly throwing blue - always blue - flowers in the air, a lazy falcon lounging in the garden-chair and wondering why dinner isn’t served straight in his mouth…) but that’s more or less the extent of my expertise. Barnes, on the other hand, is very convincing about the joys of recognising and naming. After all, naming and categorising are essential parts of the way we experience the world: being unable to call something by its name makes it all the easier to ignore. Little by little anybody can be ‘rehabilitated’ and learn to understand the natural world better.
All that said, the book have done with some trimming: it is a little repetitive in places - a complaint that Barnes seems to anticipate, pointing out that nature repeats itself too! - and peters out towards the end, as there is no natural conclusion. (Pun somewhat intended, but not quite.) The mish-mash of anecdotes, trivia, and environmentalist credo is held together by sheer enthusiasm, and this enthusiasm does sweep the reader along, but the work - and the argument - might have been even stronger with a firmer structure.
Final Verdict: Naturalists might be looking for something more scientific, and those who’d benefit most from reading this book will probably suffer from slight trivia-exhaustion at the end of it; but How to Be Wild is an inspiring read all the same. It isn’t a feel-good book - Barnes is realistic about environmental disasters - but it makes you feel that little bit better, more hopeful and optimistic about the future. As the author puts it himself, ‘If we love wildlife, we want wildlife to survive. That colours our view of what we see; changes our way of looking at the world. We see a place of infinite fragility, peopled by infinitely vulnerable beings. . . . But behind that, there is also a fierce sense of joy: a joy that is bellicose, confrontational, determined. This is too good. Too good to lose. No, they shan’t bloody ruin it. Not this.’
Short Books, 2007; hardback, 282 pp.; ISBN: 9781904977971
Wilderness does seem to be a buzz topic at the moment. I found this interesting because I’m reading a quite different book on the same subject - good to see how different authors treat the subject.
About three weeks ago, I saw a large bird about the size of a crow, it was an amazing vivid green. It had a strange squashed-looking head which was bright red. It stayed for ages and when it left I googled it and discovered it was a woodpecker. I hadn’t seen one like that before, it was an amazing experience and put me in a good mood for days. The line about fragility and joy reminded me of it.
Have you ever seen a jay? WEIRD looking birds - sort of top half of magpie stuck onto bottom half of something else.
Here in Brussels, we have wild parakeets - bright green African birds that escpaed from some zoo or something during the war and formed a breeding population. You’re walking along a street, become aware of a sqwawking noise above, look up and the trees are full of bright green parakeets. I thought I was hallucinating the first time I saw them. One of the reasons I love this city.
I read this guy’s “…Bad Birdwatcher” book last year or so & thought it delightful, so funny & informational. So I’m pleased to see he has another book out, which I’ll certainly look for soon.
His insight that we are protective of things we love, extending to nature, is one I’ve always avocated in my artwork. Modern humanity is so cut off from nature that anything that can be done to reconnect is a worthy effort.
Hey, did anyone notice that the last post was about Emma Barnes & this one is Simon Barnes? Coincidence? Or an evil plot by the Barnes? lol
Ariadne, which one are you reading? Could it be ‘The Wild Places’ by Robert Macfarlane or ‘Wild’ by Jay Griffiths?
Jackie, glad to hear the Bad Birdwatcher book is good - I’m definitely going to get it. What you say about reconnecting to nature through art is a good point - have you read ‘Song of the Earth’ by Jonathan Bate? (Good point about the Barnes conspiracy, too… one never knows ;-))
We need as many positive books about the environment as we can get at the moment, to prevent us being overwhelmed by doom. Before you can throw yourself into campaigning for nature, you have to learn to love it. So all power to Simon Barnes.