Fen, Bog and Swamp: from the winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Product Information

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, wetlands carried that connotation. Draining was good. But swampland and peat holds more carbon than a rain forest, not to mention, methane, 80 times worse than carbon in its climate effect. There are no answers here but many interesting details and past history and perhaps a few hopeful signs in the form of reclamation projects to restore some of the fens, bogs and swamps of the world before it is too late. A two-thousand-year-old lump of ancient birch tar used as chewing gum with the imprint of a child’s teeth in it gave me a smart sting of immediacy. At the same time that I want to know, I shudder internally at my own shameless snoopery.”

I'm still not at all sure just how I would classify the book, which is divided into three sections, the first being fens, the second bogs, and the third swamps. (Since these three types of what Proulx terms “peatlands” comprise the title of the book, this division is not at all surprising.) Each section includes a bit of scientific information intended to help the reader distinguish just what comprises a fen or a bog or a swamp and how each differs from the other two. Dabs of history relative to the topic of each section are mentioned as well as the author's own experiences with each of these types of wetlands. 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" Delves into the history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis [...] Proulx uses nimble prose to knit together scientific facts, personal experiences, and literary references while deciphering the nomenclature of these three subtly diverse wetlands which collectively hold the key to human history"Ok, then, I turned to the other local nature park, Tenhave Woods, a mile and a half away, next to my high school. It was formed in 1955. It was fenced after my high school classmate’s brother was murdered in the woods in 1967. Tenhave has a vernal pond and swampland and it is documented that it always had swamp land. It has a high fence to keep out deer and protect the wildflowers. Every spring we visit to see the trillium and other wildflowers that take over the ground. My high school biology teacher was part of the society that formed to protect both of these woods. This book narrowly avoided earning my first 1-star rating by actually containing interesting factual information. The tone throughout is that of a satirist trying to parody a passionate conservationist, except that as far as I can tell, this author is taken seriously as a conservationist by some people, including herself.

From Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx – whose novels are infused with her knowledge and deep concern for the earth – comes a riveting, revelatory history of our wetlands, their ecological role, and what their systematic destruction means for the planet. If there is a fault to be found with Fen, Bog & Swamp, it is that at times Proulx’s richly descriptive passages dissolve into slightly purple, overly lyrical prose. The writing is always impassioned, however, and this is equally a symptom of her drive to reverse the damage that’s been done. She describes how there were 53,000 square miles of essential mangrove forests left in 2010: within six years, these were reduced to 51,700. If care and sense are applied, Proulx explains, these mangrove areas can be restored and can protect our coasts, just as the revitalisation of the wetlands promises to protect the whole world. I also looked askance, on occasion, at Proulx’s embrace of colonial frameworks that felt like “yellow flags” to me. There are several concerned references to overpopulation and “carrying capacity.” In several places, Proulx describes European settlers as having “discovered” locations that… surely were new to them, but not to everyone. There were not many of these moments, but they were peppered through the text and gave me pause each time. And it was particularly unnerving given that the book is focused almost exclusively on European / US and Canadian wetlands.Obviously, I do not agree that most people feel powerless to be part of adapting (you say “fighting”) to climate change. As far as wetlands go, anyone can pretty easily find a way if they take the trouble to look. Almost every state has a list of its wetlands and their locations. It’s an exchange that probably wouldn’t surprise novelist Annie Proulx. While the various types of peatlands — wetlands rich in partially decayed material called peat — do blend together, I can’t help but think, after reading her latest book, that a historical distaste and underappreciation of wetlands in Western society has led to the average person’s confusion over basic peatland vocabulary. A lifelong acolyte of the natural world, Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the subject of wetlands and the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment—by storing the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. Fens, bogs, swamps, and marine estuaries are crucial to the earth’s survival, and in four illuminating parts, Proulx documents their systemic destruction in pursuit of profit. It is with the swamps and bayous of my erstwhile stomping grounds, Southern Texas and its adjacent lowlands, that the short shrift became apparent. Houston and its urban sprawl could, and should, form a book of damning indictments of greed and stupidity. New Orleans was, for reasons I simply can't understand, rescued as a human habitation after the death of the many bayous and wetlands south of it resulted in its near destruction...an expensive playground for rich people. Another book that should be written (again). Will we pay heed? Sadly, I’m not confident and neither, it would seem, is Proulx: “The waters tremble at our chutzpah and it seems we will not change.”