A Nature Book of the Year (The Times (UK))â€œThe hoverflies are only props. No, not only, but to some extent. Here and there, my story is about

The Fly Trap: A Memoir

A Nature Book of the Year (The Times (UK))

â€œThe hoverflies are only props. No, not only, but to some extent. Here and there, my story is about something else.â€

A mesmerizing memoir of extraordinary brilliance by an entomologist, The Fly Trap chronicles Fredrik SjÃ¶bergâ€™s life collecting hoverflies on a remote island in Sweden. Warm and humorous, self-deprecating and contemplative, and a major best seller in its native country, The Fly Trap is a meditation on the unexpected beauty of small things and an exploration of the history of entomology itself.
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What drives the obsessive curiosity of collectors to catalog their finds? What is the importance of the hoverfly? As confounded by his unusual vocation as anyone, SjÃ¶berg reflects on a range of ideasâ€”the passage of time, art, lost lovesâ€”drawing on sources as disparate as D. H. Lawrence and the fascinating and nearly forgotten naturalist RenÃ© Edmond Malaise. From the wilderness of Kamchatka to the loneliness of the Swedish isle he calls home, SjÃ¶berg revels in the wonder of the natural world and leaves behind a trail of memorable images and stories.

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Vintage
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-06-02
Format Kindle eBook

The Fly Trap: A Memoir