New Bookshelf 丨 "Spending time with wolves": The Canadian version of "Wolf Totem", a legend of man and wolf

Cover news reporter Wang Hui

"We have sentenced the wolf to death, not because of what it is, but because we deliberately and mistook what it is — a savage, ruthless killer who has been demonized — and in fact, we are ourselves, and the wolf is nothing more than our scapegoat." Years ago, when Canada's national treasure writer Farley Moert was preparing to write a book about wolves, he had intended to give wolves a rather minor role. His original plan was to write a satirical work about a completely different beast. However, as he wrote it, he suddenly woke up and came to the above conclusion.

Recently, this international bestseller, known as the "Canadian version of the Wolf Totem", was published by Guangxi Normal University Publishing House, telling a legendary story between man and wolf in a realistic way.

In the traditional sense, wolves are sinister, vicious, and cunning, however, with official assignments and cognitive prejudices against wolves, the author traveled to the Arctic wasteland to investigate wolves, and had a two-year intimate contact with the Steppenwolf "George" family. After witnessing Uncle Wolf fall in love and make friends with the Inuit who understand the "wolf language", the author enters the secret world of wolves again and again, and after experiencing the cognitive and emotional changes of fear of wolves, understanding wolves, respecting wolves, and pitifying wolves, he is gradually shocked and moved by many "excellent qualities" of wolves.

Be kind to your neighbors and be harmonious, love your children, and be devoted to your spouse. Majestic male wolves, elegant she-wolves, cute wolf cubs and caring wolf nannies make up the "George" family, love, friendship, family affection, neighborhood affection, here are displayed one by one; singing ceremonies before hunting, watching over the house, chasing and fighting in their leisure time, giving lessons to the wolf cubs... All kinds of indispensable details of the life of the "wolf life" show the real life of the wolf pack in three dimensions.

In the course of his expedition, the author tried to blend in with the wolf's world: adapting to the wolf's routine, learning "wolf-style naps", delineating territory for himself in the form of a wolf, and even using himself as an experimental object to verify the possibility of a wolf eating a mouse... The wolf, on the other hand, goes his own way, "respects the author as a guest", allows him to observe and study himself within the limits permitted, and shows full courtesy and tolerance.

In fact, the author's original intention of being assigned to go deep into the wasteland was to collect evidence of "wolf caribou" to promote the smooth implementation of the government's "wolf eradication plan". However, in tracking the process of wolf hunting, the author found that wolves do hunt reindeer, but only in the old, weak, sick and disabled, because they cannot catch up with the young and strong; and, because the hunting process is quite hard, their hunting goal is very simple every time - enough to eat, and human bullets and bloodthirsty desires are the culprits that cause reindeer to be on the verge of extinction.

The author witnesses the unique significance of the wolf as a living subject in maintaining the stability of the ecosystem, and the many novel facts about the wolf also make him constantly reflect on himself and human society. This good time, shrouded in courtesy and tolerance, has formed a light comedy made of pride and prejudice, and "Spending with Wolves" is a documentary work that justifies the name of wolves and is also an excellent reading to understand the real wolves up close. It completely reversed the public perception of wolves, and after its publication, for the first time set off a worldwide wave of wolf protection, and the Government even issued a ban on wolf hunting immediately after the Russian version was published.

In contrast, Jiang Rong's "Wolf Totem" is known for its literary nature, and "Spending with Wolves" is convincing with its documentary nature. The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Los Angeles Times Book Review and other media outlets have recommended the book, calling it a "groundbreaking" "international bestseller" that "reverses the public's image of wolves." ”

The Wall Street Journal called Living with Wolves a seminal book that restored the reputation of the defamated creature. According to the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Moart almost single-handedly reversed the public's image of the wolf, transforming it from a frightening beast into a romantic symbol of the wilderness. Ran Hao, an animal researcher and popular science author, praised the book, saying that the author's writing is humorous and sharp, but also with a hint of pity and helplessness, which makes us reflect more on our own way of getting along with nature.