“Beauchemin discovers again and again that happiness is a function of the connection between beings—the nonhuman animals as well as the human.”—Maria Popova, A Favorite Book of 2023
For readers of Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights comes a joyful, tender memoir of encounters with animals and their potential to transform our lives through joy.
Two mismatched ducks quarrel amorously. A tortoise basks on a rock in the sun. Four deer ceremoniously visit a writer’s garden to announce the arrival of a newborn fawn. In Archives of Joy, renowned poet, essayist, and novelist Jean-François Beauchemin turns his poetic and playful gaze to memories of animals he has known throughout his life, from fleeting encounters to deep relationships. With each meeting, Beauchemin returns to a simple thought: that joy in nature is an essential counterweight to the inescapable awareness of the brevity of life.
In short, h
