{"product_id":"archives-of-joy-reflections-on-animals-and-the-nature-of-being-9781771649322","title":"Archives of Joy: Reflections on Animals and the Nature of Being","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Beauchemin discovers again and again that happiness is a function of the connection between beings--the nonhuman animals as well as the human.\"--Maria Popova, A Favorite Book of 2023\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of Ross Gay's \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Delights\u003c\/i\u003e comes a joyful, tender memoir of encounters with animals and their potential to transform our lives through joy.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwo mismatched ducks quarrel amorously. A tortoise basks on a rock in the sun. Four deer ceremoniously visit a writer's garden to announce the arrival of a newborn fawn. In \u003ci\u003eArchives of Joy\u003c\/i\u003e, renowned poet, essayist, and novelist Jean-François Beauchemin turns his poetic and playful gaze to memories of animals he has known throughout his life, from fleeting encounters to deep relationships. With each meeting, Beauchemin returns to a simple thought: that joy in nature is an essential counterweight to the inescapable awareness of the brevity of life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn short, humorous, and often dreamlike vignettes, Beauchemin meditates on the mysteries of existence, the alchemy of memory, and the entwinement of the animal world with our own--whether he's nursing an injured bird back to health, deciphering the gaze of a judgmental cat, or keeping company with a workhorse nearing its death.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis life as a writer and his beloved pet dogs and cats feature often, as do the creatures he encounters in his garden, at farms, or on woodland walks: sparrows, crows, deer, foxes, horses, and cows. Deeply restorative, imaginative, and dreamily poetic, \u003ci\u003eArchives of Joy\u003c\/i\u003e is a memoir that will stay with readers long after its final page. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJean-François Beauchemin\u003c\/b\u003e is a prolific French-Canadian author whose novels, poems, essays, and contemplations have earned great critical acclaim. His work has been called \"one of the best-kept secrets\" of Quebec literature. He has twice been shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Greystone Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50605984481554,"sku":"9781771649322","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_96360dcd-a408-4977-8e16-8a2a737b460e.jpg?v=1732286607","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/archives-of-joy-reflections-on-animals-and-the-nature-of-being-9781771649322","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}