Olivier Remaud - Thinking Like an Iceberg

1 Cover

2 Title Page Thinking Like an Iceberg Olivier Remaud Translated by Stephen Muecke polity

3 Copyright Originally published in French as Penser comme un iceberg © Actes Sud, 2020 This English edition © Polity Press, 2022 Excerpt from Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez reprinted by permission of SLL/Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. Copyright 1986 by Barry Lopez. Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-5148-4 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Control Number: 2021949632 The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

4 Epigraph The frozen ocean itself still turns in its winter sleep like a dragon. — Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams

5 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements I would first like to thank Stéphane Durand at my French publisher, Actes Sud, for welcoming this book into his ‘Mondes sauvages’ series and for following every step of the process with attention and friendship. I also thank Stephen Muecke for his translation into English and Elise Heslinga at Polity. For their help in various ways (bibliography, translation, proofreading, illustrations, conversations), my gratitude goes to Glenn Albrecht, Þorvarður Árnason, Caroline Audibert, Petra Bachmaier, Chris Bowler, Aïté Bresson, Garry Clarke, Stephen Collins, Julie Cruikshank, Philippe Descola, Élisabeth Dutartre-Michaut, Katti Frederiksen, Sean Gallero, Samir Gandesha, Shari Fox Gearheard, Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir, Lene Kielsen Holm, Cymene Howe, Nona Hurkmans, Guðrún Kristinsdóttir-Urfalino, José Manuel Lamarque, David Long, Robert Macfarlane, Andri Snær Magnason, Rémy Marion, Christian de Marliave, Markus Messling, Éric Rignot, Camille Seaman, Charles Stépanoff, Agnès Terrier, Torfi Tulinius, Philippe Urfalino, Daniel Weidner and Stefan Willer. Finally, I am indebted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Leibniz Zentrum für Literatur und Kulturforschung in Berlin and the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver for allowing me to present parts of the manuscript as I was preparing it.

6 The Issue The Issue Icebergs have been considered secondary characters for a long time now. They made the headlines when ships sank after hitting them. Then they disappeared into the fog and no one paid them any more attention. In the pages that follow, they take centre stage. Their very substance breathes. They pitch and roll over themselves like whales. They house tiny life forms and take part in human affairs. Today, they are melting along with the glaciers and the sea ice. Icebergs are central to both the little stories and the big issues. This book invites you to discover worlds rich in secret affinities and inevitable paradoxes. There are so many ways to see wildlife with new eyes.

7 Prologue: They are Coming!

8 1 Through the Looking Glass A game of hide and seek Framing icebergs The reign of the sublime Lonely spectres A story about skulls Mirror, my beautiful mirror Notes

9 2 The Eye of the Glacier So other, so close Way up above A vocabulary crisis The wanderings of a happy man Are icebergs whale calves? The spirit of laws Do not choose the wrong world Notes

10 3 Unexpected Lives Disordered perception Living ice Iceberg portraits All power to the verbs! Incorporation/orientation Noise and breath The ear before anything else Notes

11 4 Social Snow The original iceberg Practical words The sea ice as an institution Sensitive colossi ‘We are sleepwalking’ Respecting distance Notes

12 5 A Less Lonely World An endangered species Empty or full? Suddenly, nothing at all Proof through emotion The resistance of rocks What separates and what unites Notes

13 6 Thinking Like an Iceberg Notes Epilogue: Return to the Ocean

14 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 1 Figure 1Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs (1861–3), Dallas Museum of Art

2 Chapter 2 Figure 2Diagrams extracted from Douglas I. Benn and Jan A. Åström, …

3 Chapter 3 Figure 3Camille Seaman, Stranded Iceberg, Cape Bird, Antarctica, 2006. Figure 4Last Iceberg, Series I, II, III Figure 5Sound recording of WhiteWanderer Riverside

4 Chapter 5 Figure 6Bréf til framtiðarinnar / A letter to the future. Figure 7Rise: From One Island to Another, a film by Dan Lin, Nick Stone, …

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Title Page

4 Copyright

5 Epigraph

6 Acknowledgements

7 Prologue

8 Begin Reading

9 Epilogue

10 End User License Agreement

1 iii

2 iv

3 vi

4 vii

5 viii

6 ix

7 1

8 2

9 3

10 4

11 5

12 6

13 7

14 8

15 9

16 10

17 11

18 12

19 13

20 14

21 15

22 16

23 17

24 18

25 19

26 20

27 21

28 22

29 23

30 24

31 25

32 26

33 27

34 28

35 29

36 30

37 31

38 32

39 33

40 34

41 35

42 36

43 37

44 38

45 39

46 40

47 41

48 42

49 43

50 44

51 45

52 46

53 47

54 48

55 49

56 50

57 51

58 52

59 53

60 54

61 55

62 56

63 57

64 58

65 59

66 60

67 61

68 62

69 63

70 64

71 65

72 66

73 67

74 68

75 69

76 70

77 71

78 72

79 73

80 74

81 75

82 76

83 77

84 78

85 79

86 80

87 81

88 82

89 83

90 84

91 85

92 86

93 87

94 88

95 89

96 90

97 91

98 92

99 93

100 94

101 95

102 96

103 97

104 98

105 99

106 100

107 101

108 102

109 103

110 104

111 105

112 106

113 107

114 108

115 109

116 110

117 111

118 112

119 113

120 114

121 115

122 116

123 117

124 118

125 119

126 120

127 121

128 122

129 123

130 124

131 125

132 126

133 127

134 128

135 129

136 130

137 131

138 132

139 133

140 134

141 135

142 136

143 137

144 138

145 139

146 140

147 141

148 142

149 143

150 144

151 145

152 146

153 147

154 148

155 149

156 150

157 151

158 152

159 153

160 154