J.A. Baker
Encyclopedia
John Alec Baker was an English author best known for The Peregrine, which won the Duff Cooper Prize
in 1967. Robert Macfarlane
deemed it to be "a masterpiece of twentieth-century non-fiction" in his introduction to the New York Review of Books edition of the book. On the back jacket cover of the same edition, James Dickey
states that the book "transcends any 'nature writing' of our time," while Barry Lopez
declares the book to be "one of the most beautifully written, carefully observed and evocative wildlife accounts I have ever read."
The book recounts a single year from the author's ten-year obsession with the peregrines
that wintered near his home in eastern England. The writing is lyrically charged throughout, as the author's role of diligent observer gives way to a personal transformation, as Baker becomes, in the words of James Dickey on the book's jacket cover, "a fusion of man and bird." The following is Baker's statement of intention near the beginning of the book, as well as a characteristic sample of his ecstatic writing style:
Baker's only other book is 1969's "The Hill of Summer," a lyrical and somewhat visionary account of summer's progress across the wilder parts of southern England. Though not as famous as "The Peregrine," it enjoys much the same reputation for literary beauty and naturalist precision.
Little is known of Baker's personal life, except that he was born in 1926 (died in 1987) and that he worked as a librarian in the years leading up to his death. It is also believed his pursuit of the peregrines was prompted by the diagnosis of a serious illness.
Duff Cooper Prize
The Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Cabinet member and acclaimed author. The prize was first awarded...
in 1967. Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane, , is a British travel writer and literary critic. Educated at Nottingham High School, Pembroke College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford, he is currently a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and teaches in the Faculty of English at Cambridge.-Books:Macfarlane's first...
deemed it to be "a masterpiece of twentieth-century non-fiction" in his introduction to the New York Review of Books edition of the book. On the back jacket cover of the same edition, James Dickey
James Dickey
James Lafayette Dickey was an American poet and novelist. He was appointed the eighteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1966.-Early years:...
states that the book "transcends any 'nature writing' of our time," while Barry Lopez
Barry Lopez
Barry Holstun Lopez is an American author, essayist, and fiction writer whose work is known for its environmental and social concerns.-Biography:...
declares the book to be "one of the most beautifully written, carefully observed and evocative wildlife accounts I have ever read."
The book recounts a single year from the author's ten-year obsession with the peregrines
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
that wintered near his home in eastern England. The writing is lyrically charged throughout, as the author's role of diligent observer gives way to a personal transformation, as Baker becomes, in the words of James Dickey on the book's jacket cover, "a fusion of man and bird." The following is Baker's statement of intention near the beginning of the book, as well as a characteristic sample of his ecstatic writing style:
"Wherever he goes, this winter, I will follow him. I will share the fear, and the exaltation, and the boredom, of the hunting life. I will follow him till my predatory human shape no longer darkens in terror the shaken kaleidoscope of colour that stains the deep fovea of his brilliant eye. My pagan head shall sink into the winter land, and there be purified."
Baker's only other book is 1969's "The Hill of Summer," a lyrical and somewhat visionary account of summer's progress across the wilder parts of southern England. Though not as famous as "The Peregrine," it enjoys much the same reputation for literary beauty and naturalist precision.
Little is known of Baker's personal life, except that he was born in 1926 (died in 1987) and that he worked as a librarian in the years leading up to his death. It is also believed his pursuit of the peregrines was prompted by the diagnosis of a serious illness.