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Barry Lopez

バリー・ロペス

Barry Lopez

Aliases: Barry Holstun Brennan / Barry Holstun Lopez

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1945-01-06 （Port Chester, New York, U.S.）
Died
2020-12-25 （Eugene, Oregon, U.S.） age 75
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholicism (background)
Residence History
Port Chester, New York, U.S. → Reseda, Los Angeles, California, U.S. → Manhattan, New York City, U.S. → Near Finn Rock, Oregon, U.S. → Eugene, Oregon, U.S.

Career

Occupations
essayist, nature writer, fiction writer, academic (visiting scholar/teacher), landscape photographer (early career)
Active Years
1966-2020
Affiliations
Harper's Magazine (contributing editor/contributor), The Explorers Club (Fellow), Texas Tech University (Visiting Distinguished Scholar)
Memberships
The Explorers Club
Influenced By
Wendell Berry, Henry David Thoreau, Annie Dillard

Education

University of Notre Dame
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: United States
Undergraduate degree (BA)
University of Notre Dame
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: United States
Graduate degree (MA)
New York University
Country: United States
Attended / coursework
University of Oregon
Country: United States
Attended / coursework

Awards

National Book Award (Nonfiction)
1986
Work: Arctic Dreams
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
John Burroughs Medal
Work: Of Wolves and Men (and others)
Organization: John Burroughs Association
Result: 受賞
Lannan Literary Award
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization: Guggenheim Foundation
Result: 受賞
Pushcart Prize (two times)
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: 受賞
Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award
Organization: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Result: 受賞
Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary degree)
Organization: Whittier College
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Of Wolves and Men

1978 Nonfiction (natural history)

A nonfiction study of the historical and cultural relationships between wolves and humans, combining ecological research with human narratives to examine misconceptions and conservation issues surrounding wolves.

human–nature relationshipanimal behaviorcultural perception

Arctic Dreams

1986 Nonfiction (travel/natural history)

Based on five years of research in the Canadian Arctic, this long nonfiction work poetically and scientifically explores the relationships between nature and human cultures, describing landscapes, wildlife, indigenous peoples, and environmental issues.

Arctic naturehuman–environment relationsenvironmental ethics

Crow and Weasel

1990 Fiction (children's literature / allegorical)

An allegorical children's novel influenced by Native American legends, emphasizing the importance of metaphor, imagination, and learning through storytelling.

metaphor and storytellingNative American legendsgrowth and learning
Adaptations
  • [TV / Stage] Adaptation by Children's Theatre Company / appearance on 'ALL ABOUT KIDS!' TV series (1994)

Horizon

2019 Nonfiction (memoir/travel)

An autobiographical account of travels and experiences across Lopez's life, combining personal memory and natural observation with an urgent reflection on the contemporary environmental crisis.

memory and travellandscape and memoryenvironmental warning

Bibliography

  • Desert Notes: Reflections in the Eye of a Raven (1976)
  • Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America (1977)
  • River Notes: The Dance of Herons (1979)
  • Winter Count (1981)
  • Of Wolves and Men (1978)
  • Arctic Dreams (1986)
  • Crossing Open Ground (1989)
  • Crow and Weasel (1990)
  • Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren (1994)
  • Horizon (2019)
  • Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World (posthumous, 2022)

Adaptations

  • Stage and TV adaptations/appearances of Crow and Weasel

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, poetic prosedetailed natural descriptioncombination of scientific insight and literary reflection
Recurring Motifs
landscapes and terrainanimals and ecosystemsindigenous myths and legendsmetaphor and symbolism

Health

  • prostate cancer
    終期（死去まで）
    Died from complications in 2020. His writing and teaching activities were reportedly constrained at times by his illness.

Legacy

Barry Lopez is highly regarded for his poetic and scientific exploration of the relationships between nature and human cultures. Winner of the National Book Award for Arctic Dreams, he significantly influenced nature writing from the late 20th century into the 21st. His papers and legacy are preserved in academic archives.

Museums

  • Sowell Family Collection (Barry Lopez archives) Southwest Collection / Special Collections, Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas, U.S.)

Academic Societies

  • The Explorers Club

Archives

  • Texas Tech University Southwest Collection / Special Collections (manuscripts and papers)

In Popular Culture

  • Use of his works in children's theatre and television (Crow and Weasel)

Quotes

  • He has been described as "the most important living writer about wilderness."
    Source: Robert Macfarlane (review in The Guardian) (2005)

Trivia

  • Born Barry Holstun Brennan; later adopted his stepfather's surname Lopez.
  • Publicly disclosed having suffered prolonged childhood sexual abuse.
  • Property near his long-term home was damaged in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire; he temporarily relocated to Eugene.
  • Died in 2020 from complications of prostate cancer.