From Powells.com
Sebastian Junger came to the attention of many readers in 1997 with The
Perfect Storm, his bestselling account of a ferocious storm off the
coast of Nova Scotia and the men and women whose lives were affected by
it. However, readers of Vanity Fair and Harper's will know
him for his excellent journalism about war-torn regions such as Kashmir,
Sierra Leone, and the former Yugoslavia, while readers of Outside
magazine will recognize his riveting adventure writing. Fire is
a compelling collection containing a decade's worth of Junger's exemplary
journalism, united by a common theme: adventure. Equally at ease in his
observations of both nature and human nature, Junger's subjects range
from the devastation wrought by forest fires of Boise, Idaho, to the thoughts
and memories of the last living whale harpooner, Athneal Ollivierre. Junger
has been in some of the world's most dangerous regions, and writes with
assured skill about the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the deadly
diamond trade in Sierra Leone, and the genocide committed in Kosovo. And
yet, what raises Junger's journalism above most war correspondents or
adventure writers is his sensitivity and poise. Atlantic Monthly
notes, "Junger is not a moralizing journalist. His stories in Fire...tend
to end as they begin with a discovered detail or an irresistible
fact, rather than an epiphany or a petition. The accretion of minutiae
is his greatest talent: he lays down the mundane beside the lyrical
patiently, without bravado." Georgie, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A riveting collection of literary journalism by the bestselling author of
The Perfect Storm, capped off brilliantly by a new Afterword and a timely essay about war-torn Afghanistan -- a superb eyewitness report about the Taliban's defeat in Kabul -- new to book form.
Sebastian Junger has made a specialty of bringing to life the drama of nature and human nature. Few writers have been to so many disparate and desperate corners of the globe. Fewer still have met the standard of great journalism more consistently. None has provided more starkly memorable evocations of extreme events. From the murderous mechanics of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, to an inferno forest fire burning out of control in the steep canyons of Idaho, to the forensics of genocide in Kosovo, this collection of Junger's reporting will take readers to places they need to know about but wouldn't dream of going on their own. In his company we travel to these places, pass through frightening checkpoints, actual and psychological, and come face-to-face with the truth.
About the Author
Sebastian Junger grew up in suburban Massachusetts, not far from the town of Gloucester, the fishing port depicted in The Perfect Storm that was home to the Andrea Gail and its crew. He graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in cultural anthropology in 1984 and has been a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in such magazines as Outside, Men's Journal, American Heritage, and The New York Times Magazine. Drawn to stories of adventure, Junger has delivered radio reports from the war in Bosnia, covered smoke jumpers in Idaho's wilderness wildfires, and written about the smallest border town in Texas. In addition he has for many years worked a high climber and trimmer for tree removal companies. He currently lives in New York City and Cape Cod. The Perfect Storm is his first book.