Freeman's Animals

Rilke's encounter with flamingos at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris over a century ago is still typical of how we interact with animals, symbolizing, captivating, and captive. This issue of Freeman's explores the story of that interaction, its costs, tendernesses, and mythological flex, featuring pigeons, calves, stray dogs, mascots, stolen cats, and bears.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2022
Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press

Over a century ago, Rilke ventured to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where he beheld a pair of flamingos. A flock of other birds screeched by, and, as he vividly recounts in a poem, the magnificent red-pink birds sauntered on, unperturbed, before stretching in amazement and marching into the imaginary. This encounter, so peculiar and emblematic of flamingos, with their striking posture, remains a quintessential portrayal of our interaction with animals. Despite the dire consequences of our actions on their survival, they continue to hold symbolic value, captivating our imagination and remaining captive in the narrative we create. This captivating issue of Freeman's delves into the intricacies of this interaction, exploring its profound costs, tender moments, and the mythical flexibility it entails. From the lovers in a Chiara Barzini story who unravel as a group of wild boars roams in their Roman neighborhood to the awe-inspiring emergency birth of a cow on a Wales farm, vividly described by Cynan Jones, no one emerges as morally superior. Rather, this piece transcends mourning, encompassing wonder, humor, rage, and relief. It showcases a diverse range of animals, including pigeons, calves, stray dogs, mascots, stolen cats, and bears, all of whom are subjected to captivity and torment in our food supply, vividly depicted in the essay by Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk. This wide-ranging issue of Freeman's will ignite both discussion and dreams, inviting readers to contemplate the profound implications of our relationship with these extraordinary creatures.

Weight: 445g
Dimension: 210 x 140 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781611854244
Edition number: Main