And here, he doesn’t fill you with The Answer, but takes you to a place of humble awe at the mysteries of the universe.Īs an anthropologist, Eiseley’s writing centers around the idea of human evolution and consciousness-how we perceive the world and adapt-or relate-to it. He uses his own observations-whether a dog buried at sea awash on the shore or a girl with a Neanderthal brow-then uses poetry to open the mind to the larger Idea. Through memoir, Eiseley sets the stage for an idea.
Perhaps that’s the gift of the melancholic: to see the big picture in a seemingly mundane event. Auden’s introduction to Star Thrower, he describes Eiseley as melancholic, pensive. It is soul-searching, both intellectual and raw, that is refreshing to experience from a scientist. You’ve probably heard the story before, for Gandhi adapted it as an inspirational story about a boy saving beached starfish and, in whatever way he can, “making a difference.” Gandhi’s version leans towards sentimentality, whereas Eiseley goes into the heart of darkness-from indignation and apathy to introspection and understanding. The title was taken from an essay by the same name. He wrote prolifically-books, essays and poetry-Star Thrower being a collection. Loren Eiseley was an anthropologist, evolutionist and literary naturalist of the twentieth century.
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