Rick Bass's dog, Colter, is the brown dog of theYaak. Described by Bass
as a creature almost mythic, the dog charges through the mountain
valleys following the scent of game. In this book, Bass gives a history
of his years with Colter—including vignettes about interactions with
well-known writers Jim Harrison and Barry Lopez—as a way of
understanding what is intuitive in himself and his quest to create art.
Quotes:
“The Yaak is a rugged
valley of grizzly bears, mountain lions, bald eagles and dozens of
other creatures. Located in northwest Montana, it is the wildest valley
in the lower 48 states . . .. In Brown Dog of the Yaak, Bass uses his
encounters with the natural world to galvanize his thoughts about
activism, the writing life, and his passion for the wilderness. His
perspective is both fresh and wise . . .. Brown Dog of the Yaak is filled
with nuggets of wisdom and provocative questions. Bass challenges us to
lead authentic, inspired lives, to engage in both activism and art. He
urges us not to rein back: ‘It's so easy to sand the edges off a word,
and then a sentence, and then a paragraph; then a story; and then,
doubtless, a life.'”—Christine Carr, Rocky Mountain News
“In
four essays, Bass ponders the relationship between literature and
activism, organically fusing nature writing, environmentalism and the
quest for meaning, leaping from the particular to the universal, from
individual worries to planetary concerns, with breathtaking ease . . ..
These eloquent essays renew the spirit and reawaken the senses.”—Publishers Weekly
“With Brown Dog of the Yaak and The Dream of
the Marsh Wren, Milkweed's Credo series is off to a running, highly
intriguing, highly worthwhile start.”—Charles Scheer, Memphis Flyer
“The
first two books in the new Credo series from Milkweed articulate some
simple truths about the outdoors and American writing that play
brilliantly off each other. The deeper the writers go into their
subjects, the clearer things become.”—Salon Magazine
“Brown Dog
of the Yaak gives insight into the creative process—the very life—of
one of our finest writers as he comes to terms with why he writes and
lives as he does.”—Bloomsbury Review
“Bass is an eloquent essayist; he somehow avoids sermonizing while lecturing.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The
great qualities of this writer are in this book, with its ‘my hair is
on fire' prose, big heart, and ability to proclaim the spirit of wild
places without coming off flakey . . .. You'll experience how deeply
seomeone can love a place that gives us its creatures but also takes
them away" —Montana Magazine
