The Journals 1837-1861

Henry D. Thoreaus Hauptwerk ist nicht 'Walden' oder 'Über den zivilen Ungehorsam', sondern sein Tagebuch, das er als 20-jähriger begann und bis wenige Tage vor seinem Tod 1861 führte. Darin notierte er Beobachtungen, die zu den bedeutendsten Naturschilderungen der Weltliteratur zählen, aber auch Gedanken und Refl exionen, die ihn als ganz eigenständigen philosophischen Kopf erkennen lassen. Durch die Lektüre wird deutlich, dass Natur und Politik wie Zurückgezogenheit und der Wunsch nach gesellschaftlicher Veränderung eine Einheit bilden. Stille, Unabhängigkeit, Antimaterialismus, Armut, Antiprüderie, Askese, Selbstdisziplin und mystische Suche sind neben überwältigend präzisen und gleichzeitig poetischen Beschreibungen des Lebens, der Natur, der großen und kleinen Lebewesen die bestimmenden Themen dieses Werks. Während dieses große Tagebuchwerk in Amerika Generationen von Künstlern und Schriftstellern beeinflusste und heute eine überwältigende Renaissance erlebt, ist es in Deutsch land nahezu unbekannt. Unsere Ausgabe lädt ein, dieses Meisterwerk zu entdecken und Thoreau unzensiert zu erleben.

Henry David Thoreau s Journal was his life s work: the daily practice of writing that accompanied his daily walks, the workshop where he developed his books and essays, and a project in its own right one of the most intensive explorations ever made of the everyday environment, the revolving seasons, and the changing self. It is a treasure trove of some of the finest prose in English and, for those acquainted with it, its prismatic pages exercise a hypnotic fascination. Yet at roughly seven thousand pages, or two million words, it remains Thoreau s least-known work.

This reader s edition, the largest one-volume edition of Thoreau s Journal ever published, is the first to capture the scope, rhythms, and variety of the work as a whole. Ranging freely over the world at large, the Journal is no less devoted to the life within. As Thoreau says, It is in vain to write on the seasons unless you have the seasons in you.

Rezension:

"[Searls's selection] admirably preserves the feel of the 7,000-page original. This lightweight, sturdy edition ... practically begs to be read outside." Thomas Meaney, Times Literary Supplement

...we are richer now that Damion Searls has unearthed new Thoreauvian treasures for the rest of us -- a 10th of the two-million-word journal, far more than ever before available in a single volume. Here, in some of the most vigorous and original prose in English, we find the origins of "Walden" and the other books, but we also find that the journal was a work of art in itself. Michael Sims, The Washington Post

"Writer, editor, and translator Searls selected passages from this vast sea of words to create the largest and most cohesive one-volume reader s edition ever published...This is a superb and uniquely accessible edition of an essential American masterpiece." Booklist

"Damion Searls has found and freed the lean, shapely and modern American classic inside the very definition of a 'baggy monster.'" Christopher Lydon, Open Source Radio

"More than any previous version, it allows a direct encounter with this great work and approximates the experience of reading the whole. In fact, by clearing away some of the underbrush in the fourteen volumes, it highlights the better-known passages and uncovers hidden gems and significant connections." Geoff Wisner, The Quarterly Conversation

It is the unflagging beauty of the writing, day after day, that confirms its greatness among writers journals. Alfred Kazin

Thoreau could lift a fish out of the stream with his hands; he could charm a wild squirrel to nestle in his coat; he could sit so still that the animals went on with their play round him. [In the Journal] we have a chance of getting to know Thoreau as few people are known, even by their friends. Virginia Woolf

Reading Thoreau s Journal I discover any idea I ve ever had worth its salt. John Cage