Barry Lopez

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Barry Lopez
Born(1945-01-06)January 6, 1945
Port Chester, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 25, 2020(2020-12-25) (aged 75)
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame (BA, MA)
Notable worksOf Wolves and Men (1978)
Arctic Dreams (1986)

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.

Early life

Lopez 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] 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

presence of the Divine.[5]

Career and works

Lopez'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

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

Fiction

  • Desert Notes: Reflections in the Eye of a Raven.
  • Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America.
  • River Notes: The Dance of Herons. Andrews and McMeel. 1979.
  • Winter Count.
    OCLC 7178782.[28] Distinguished Recognition Award, Friends of American Writers[29]
  • Crow and Weasel.
  • Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren.
  • Lessons from the Wolverine.
  • Light Action in the Caribbean: Stories.
  • Resistance.
  • Outside: Six Short Stories.

Nonfiction

Anthology

Edited volumes

Awards and honors

Personal life

Lopez'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

  1. ^ a b c "Barry Lopez". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  2. ^
    ProQuest 1311697040
    .
  3. ^ from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  4. .
  5. ^ . Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Lopez, Barry (January 2013). "Sliver of Sky". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Barry Lopez". Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Barry Lopez's Horizon is a masterpiece of a reminder to do better". vancouversun. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  11. ^
    OCLC 181335874
    .
  12. ^ .
  13. ^ 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.
  14. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c "Lopez, Barry". Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  16. ^ Slovic 1992, p. 142.
  17. ^ McClintock 1994, p. 141.
  18. ^ McClintock 1994, p. 143.
  19. ^ Slovic 1992, p. 143.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/672448/embrace-fearlessly-the-burning-world-by-barry-lopez/
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "Barry Lopez – News". www.barrylopez.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
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  27. ^ "Barry Lopez". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Winter Count". Kirkus Reviews. April 1, 1981. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  29. ^ "Friends of American Writers Chicago Literature Awards". www.fawchicago.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  30. ^ "Crow and Weasel". Kirkus Reviews. October 5, 1990. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ "Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association 1995 Book Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2014.
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  34. ^ "Light Action in the Caribbean". Kirkus Reviews. November 8, 2000. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  35. ^ "Resistance". Kirkus Reviews. June 13, 2004. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  36. ^ "Outside". Kirkus Reviews. March 8, 2014. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
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  38. ^ "JBA Medal Award List". research.amnh.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  39. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "John Burroughs Medal, Science & Nature Awards, Books". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  40. ^ "Commencement Ceremony Features Author Barry Lopez". www.coa.edu. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  41. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  42. ^ "National Book Critics Circle Award past winners and finalists". Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
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  46. ^ Burnside, John. "The beauty of roadkill". New Statesman. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  47. ^ Horizon by Barry Lopez. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  48. ^ 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.
  49. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  50. ^ 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.
  51. ^ Ehrenreich, Ben (May 31, 2022). "Barry Lopez Urged Us to Pay Attention to a Burning World". New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  52. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  53. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  54. from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  55. ^ "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.
  56. ^ a b "Barry Lopez". Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  57. ^ "Barry Lopez". Lannan Foundation. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  58. ^ 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.
  59. ^ 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.
  60. ^ 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.
  61. .
  62. ^ Novak, Theresa. "Literary masters get set to shine". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  63. ^ "Honorary Degrees". www.whittier.edu. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  64. ^ Wadsworth, Lois (April 25, 2002). "Between Two Worlds". Eugene Weekly. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  65. ^ 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

Further reading

External links