Fen, Bog and Swamp

A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis

By: Annie Proulx

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

*Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker and Literary Hub!* A Finalist for the 2022 NBCC Awards in Nonfiction, the 2023 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award, and the NEIBA 2023 New England Book Award*

From Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, this riveting deep dive into the history of our wetlands and what their systematic destruction means for the planet “is both an enchanting work of nature writing and a rousing call to action” (Esquire).

“I learned something new—and found something amazing—on every page.” —Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land

A lifelong acolyte of the natural world, Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the subject of wetlands and the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment—by storing the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. Fens, bogs, swamps, and marine estuaries are crucial to the earth’s survival, and in four illuminating parts, Proulx documents their systemic destruction in pursuit of profit.

In a vivid and revelatory journey through history, Proulx describes the fens of 16th-century England, Canada’s Hudson Bay lowlands, Russia’s Great Vasyugan Mire, and America’s Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. She introduces the early explorers who launched the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and writes of the diseases spawned in the wetlands—the Ague, malaria, Marsh Fever.

A sobering look at the degradation of wetlands over centuries and the serious ecological consequences, this is “an unforgettable and unflinching tour of past and present, fixed on a subject that could not be more important” (Bill McKibben).

“A stark but beautifully written Silent Spring–style warning from one of our greatest novelists.” —The Christian Science Monitor

Critic reviews

"Gabra Zackman’s intelligent performance of this eloquent audiobook encourages listeners to absorb its powerful message. As Zackman narrates with exquisite timing and thoughtful pacing, listeners learn much from Proulx’s longtime focus on the wetter world. Unlike that of a pure scientist, Proulx’s prose sparkles and is enlivened by stories, quotations, and memories. She shares her curiosity for peat and her love of the literary uses of bogs and swamps but never veers far from explaining the alarming losses to our flora and fauna that are occurring today. Listeners learn about her childhood and ongoing fascination with wetlands, as well as proactive projects aimed at revivifying the damage that has been done through dredging and draining our swampland, marshes, and fens for the purpose of development."

Fascinating history

Fascinating history of our earth, both lost to time and man and that which exists and needs our respect. Thank you!

Enjoyable Discourse on Wetlands

Personally, I found the first chapter to feel like an obligatory anti-human, woe is the earth diatribe before we can get into the actual subject sermon that I will skip on all future rereads. The rest of the book is pleasant.

Informative and Hopeful

This book discusses the history of fens, bogs and swamps and the human relationships cemented in them. It is a call to action to learn this history and to act on it.

Informative and nicely read.

A depressing listen but informative. The first chapter sets the stage about our ominous future but the rest is more hopeful.

Non Scientific

Not as scientific as I hoped (I am an environmental science grad student though). Interesting for its references to wetlands in human history. Although certainly justified the beginning predominately consists of complaining about current environmental issues regarding wetlands.