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Sign up todayThe Fly Trap
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Learn moreA rare memoir of extraordinary, mesmerizing brilliance—and a Swedish bestseller—by an entomologist fascinated with the natural world and the hidden wonders of life, and which asks: What is it that drives the obsessively curious to exploration and the practice of collecting?
Warm and humorous, self-deprecating and contemplative, The Fly Trap is a meditation on solitude, stillness, and the observation of beauty—be it found among insects or in art. Weaving a fascinating web of associations, histories, and personal memories, the book begins with Fredrik Sjöberg’s own experience as an entomologist on a tranquil, remote Swedish island and pulls in the tales of past heroic scientific expeditions to Burma and the wilderness of Kamchatka. As confounded by his unusual love of collecting flies as anyone, Sjöberg pauses to reflect on a range of ideas—the passage of time, art, freedom—drawing into dialogue writers such as Bruce Chatwin and D. H. Lawrence, and the lives of collectors such as René Edmond Malaise, inventor of the Malaise trap.
From the everyday to the exotic, The Fly Trap revels in the wonders of the natural world.
Fredrik Sjöberg is an entomologist, literary critic, translator, cultural columnist, and the author of several books. He has written on everything from the history of the environmental movement to the insect collection of the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer. He lives with his family on the island Runmarö in the archipelago east of Stockholm.
Winner of the prestigious Audie Award (for History and Audio Drama), veteran actor Robert Fass is equally at home in a wide variety of styles, genres, characters, and dialects. A seven-time Audie nominee with over 100 unabridged audiobooks to his credit, Robert has also earned multiple Earphones Awards, including for his narration of Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden. Robert has given voice to modern and classic fiction writers alike, including Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, John Steinbeck, Carlos Fuentes, Isaac Asimov, Ellery Queen, Steve Berry, Jeffrey Deaver, and Nele Neuhaus, plus bestselling nonfiction works in history, politics, health, journalism, philosophy, and business.
Thomas Teal has translated many works into English, beginning in the 1970s with The Summer Book and Sun City and more recently The True Deceiver and Fair Play. He also cotranslated Tove Jansson’s short stories in The Woman Who Borrowed Memories. He lives in Massachusetts.
Reviews
“The minute observations from nature reveal sudden insights into one’s life.”
“Entertaining…whimsical…rich…iconoclastic…brilliant.”
“Full of charm, the insects are almost incidental…It’s really a book about how to find meaning in life.”
“[A] wry…poetic memoir.”
“Seductive reading…Sjoberg carries you along on his many excursions and detours…pulling together a digressive skein of stories across centuries and continents.”
“[Sjöberg] writes with infectious passion.”
“A charming, off-the-beaten track, humorously self-deprecating memoir…a paean to some of the tiniest wonders of the natural world but even more to the benefits of intense focus…The Fly Trap stands as proof that great writing can lend a buzz to even the most unlikely subjects.”
“A badass Swede you’ve never heard of…One of my favorite books of this year was The Fly Trap, by the writer and entomologist Fredrik Sjöberg, who appears to be the Geoff Dyer of Sweden: funny, astute, intellectually voracious, simultaneously self-absorbed, and self-critical.”
“An intriguing defense of the selfish, even hedonistic pleasures of natural history. Thomas Teal’s translation captures Sjöberg’s quiet, hypnotic style, his deadpan jokes.”
“Wry, digressive, and packed with fantastically clipped observations.”
“The Fly Trap is such an ardent, informed, and sustained brief on behalf of the planet that a plea for this or that piece of green legislation seems unnecessary. The very existence of this subtle book is a powerful argument for vigilance.”
“At once whimsical and yet laden with erudition and a deep feeling for the natural world and our place in it.”
“Robert Fass’ skill in blurring the line between author and narrator shines…Fass’ easygoing tone and natural cadences highlight the author’s enthusiasm for life and his curiosity about a range of topics …Fass’ expressive narration allows listeners to appreciate the author’s wry and self-deprecating humor. In addition, he handles the Swedish and Latin terms without a hitch.”
“A memoir that reads like summer trapped within the pages of a warm and nourishing book…What really elevates this book is Sjöberg’s promise to have his memoir concentrate on his two-pronged mission: ‘to say something about the art and sometimes the bliss of limitation. And the legibility of landscape.’”
“A rare masterpiece…graceful, poetic, astonishing and—yes!—absolutely thrilling.”
“Sharing the experience of solitude and reflection…in language that is often poetic, sometimes inscrutable.”
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