The around us

Author: (American) Whiteley / Zhang Mi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: A classic masterpiece of natural literature from the UK and the US, selling for nearly a century, recommended by renowned writers Wang Meng, famous poet Bei Dao, famous writer Wang Shuo, famous director Zhang Yuan, and famous writer A Lai. An ideal gift for the urbanized era, a spiritual spring cleansing restless anxieties, a timeless collection that never fails to captivate. Step into the heart of a genius girl and experience the serene Zen-like harmony with nature. Her gaze is exceptionally warm, always devoutly and meticulously depicting the vibrant creatures in the forest; her heart is deeply sensitive, exploring the subtle emotions of animals and plants with divine thoughts and feelings; she perceives the world with an innate childlike curiosity and shares these insights with others—even those no longer of that age—still able to feel its gentle pulse and be profoundly moved. "Personifying objects with playful childlike language," The Enchanted World Around Us is dreamlike and strangely familiar. Turning back the clock to the dawn of memory, the curiosity, imagination, stubbornness, and persistence of childhood are so delightful and charming. Everything was alive, and one could converse with it. Revisiting such a context brings an involuntary smile. Opal was a prodigy, a true spirit sent by God to the mortal world. Wherever she was, she could sense and revel in the beauty around her, loving every forest and calling it "a wonderful world where one can live." With her innocent and whimsical pen, she led people into a dreamlike realm that was both joyful and tranquil—our soul's sanctuary. It's hard to imagine such a magnificent spiritual creation stemmed from Opal's early life as a way to distract herself from deep loneliness. She offered her dreams to the world, making them the dreams and homes of all. Opal Whiteley, once a prodigious girl in America. Starting to keep a diary at the age of five, by thirteen, she began giving lectures on nature and geography. Her childhood diary became a bestseller in countless American households in the early 20th century. Born to a logging family in Oregon, she grew up in the embrace of nature, possessing a strange ability to merge with it. However, in middle age, she began to suffer greatly from schizophrenia. By 1948, her friends thought she could no longer care for herself; she was sent to a psychiatric hospital in England, where she remained until her death in 1992. She never wrote another book or returned to the forest she loved as a child. The book is divided into two parts: The first part is Opal's Diary of a Little Girl, documenting the solitary childhood of a little girl who loved the forest and animals but was misunderstood, filled with amusingly innocent and playful humor; the second part, The Enchanted World Around Us, is her later observations on nature, more intellectual and rich in content, brimming with fantastical romantic imagination, teaching us how to appreciate the enchanted world around us.