Elizabeth Bradfield’s Toward Antarctica uses the haibun form to document and reflect upon her experience as a naturalist in Antarctica. “In haibun, jotted diary-like prose is interspersed with and interrupted by short poems, usually haiku” (14), Bradfield explains. Drawing inspiration from the 17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō’s inclusion of calligraphic paintings in his travel-inspired haibun, Bradfield illustrated this collection with her own photographs taken on journeys to Antarctica.
The book functions as a poetic travelogue, combining personal anecdotes with history—including the legacies of past Antarctic explorers such as Ernest Shackleton—and firsthand observations of the continent’s changing animal populations and ice formations.
Toward Antarctica is divided into four sections, each charting a different phase of Bradfield’s journey. Bradfield includes footnotes to provide context and information that is likely unfamiliar to the casual reader. At the end of the book, she provides a list of organizations involved in conservation related to Antarctica.
Author website: https://ebradfield.com/
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