Abbey, Edward

Abbey, Edward
born Jan. 29, 1927, Home, Pa., U.S.
died March 14, 1989, Oracle, Ariz.

U.S. writer and environmentalist.

Abbey worked as a park ranger and fire lookout for the National Park Service. He wrote a number of volumes on consumer culture's encroachment on the American wilderness. Desert Solitaire (1968), one of his best-known, is set in southeastern Utah. His 1975 novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, describing the exploits of a band of guerrilla environmentalists, inspired numerous real-life activists.

* * *

▪ American author
born January 29, 1927, Home, Pennsylvania, U.S.
died March 14, 1989, Oracle, Arizona

      American writer whose works, set primarily in the Southwestern United States, reflect an uncompromising environmentalist philosophy.

      The son of a Pennsylvania farmer, Abbey earned a B.A. (1951) and an M.A. (1956) at the University of New Mexico. He subsequently worked as a park ranger and fire lookout for the National Park Service in the Southwest, developing an intimacy with the region's landscape that was to shape his writing career. Central to this experience was the perspective it afforded on the human presence in the natural environment. Abbey observed both the remnants of ancient Indian cultures and the encroachment of consumer civilization. His book Desert Solitaire (1968), considered by many to be his best, is an extended meditation on the sublime and forbidding wilderness of southeastern Utah and the human incursions into it. He husbanded his extensive knowledge of the region, admitting “I have written much about a good many places. But the best places of all I have never mentioned.”

      Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) recounts the exploits of a band of guerrilla environmentalists; both it and Desert Solitaire became handbooks of the environmental movement. The strain of cynicism that runs through much of Abbey's writing is leavened by a bracing prose style and mischievous wit. His advice was unorthodox: “This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and animals. Stand up for the stupid and crazy. Take your hat off to no man.” And his opinions pithy: “Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.” His appreciation for the natural and distrust of machines and the modern state resonated through the 1960s, '70s, and beyond. After his death, he was buried as he had requested: in a sleeping bag, without embalming fluid or casket. His body was surreptitiously interred in an unmarked desert grave somewhere in Arizona.

      Among his many other works are The Brave Cowboy (1958), Slickrock (1971), Abbey's Road (1979), and The Fool's Progress (1988). Hayduke Lives!, a sequel to The Monkey Wrench Gang, was published posthumously in 1990. Confessions of a Barbarian: Selections from the Journals of Edward Abbey, 1951–1989, edited by David Petersen, was published in 1994.

Additional Reading
Biographies include James Bishop, Jr., Epitaph for a Desert Anarchist: The Life and Legacy of Edward Abbey (1994); James M. Cahalan, Edward Abbey: A Life (2001); and Jack Loeffler, Adventures with Ed: A Portrait of Abbey (2002), an intimate biographical memoir by one of Abbey's closest friends. James R. Hepworth and Gregory McNamee (eds.), Resist Much, Obey Little: Remembering Ed Abbey (1996), contains personal remembrances by friends and fellow writers. Two critical studies of Edward Abbey are Garth McCann, Edward Abbey (1977); and Peter Quigley, Coyote in the Maze: Tracking Edward Abbey in a World of Words (1998).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abbey, Edward — (29 ene. 1927, Home, Pa., EE.UU.–14 mar. 1989, Oracle, Ariz.). Escritor y ambientalista estadounidense. Abbey trabajó como guardaparques para el National Park Service (Servicio nacional de parques). Escribió varios libros que abordan el impacto… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Edward Abbey — Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang , which… …   Wikipedia

  • Edward Latymer — (1557 ndash; 1627) was a wealthy merchant and official in London. His will established both Latymer Upper School and The Latymer School and is associated with Godolphin and Latymer School.LifeEdward was the older son of William Latymer, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Edward Heylyn — (1695 April 10 1765) was a merchant and entrepreneur who was one of the founders of the Bow porcelain factory.The Heylyn family originally came from North Wales. Heylyn was the third son of John Heylyn, a saddler of London who is said to have… …   Wikipedia

  • Edward the Confessor — St. Edward the Confessor EDWARD(US) REX. Edward the Confessor enthroned , opening scene of the Bayeux Tapestry King of England Reign 8 June 1042 – 5 January 1066 …   Wikipedia

  • Edward VI of England — Infobox British Royalty|majesty name = Edward VI title = King of England and Ireland caption = Edward as Prince of Wales, Flemish School [Once attributed to Hans Eworth, the portrait has more recently been associated with William Scrots, though… …   Wikipedia

  • Abbey — /ab ee/, n. 1. Edward, 1927 89, U.S. novelist and nature writer. 2. Edwin Austin, 1852 1911, U.S. painter and illustrator. * * * I Complex of buildings housing a monastery or convent under the direction of an abbot or abbess, serving the needs of …   Universalium

  • Edward — /ed weuhrd/, n. 1. Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall ( The Black Prince ), 1330 76, English military leader (son of Edward III). 2. Lake, a lake in central Africa, between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a source of the Nile.… …   Universalium

  • abbey — /ab ee/, n., pl. abbeys. 1. a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess. 2. the group of buildings comprising such a monastery or convent. 3. the church of an abbey. [1200 50; ME abbey(e) < OF… …   Universalium

  • Edward the Confessor — noun son of Ethelred the Unready; King of England from 1042 to 1066; he founded Westminster Abbey where he was eventually buried (1003 1066) • Syn: ↑Saint Edward the Confessor, ↑St. Edward the Confessor • Instance Hypernyms: ↑King of England,… …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”