The phenomenal number-one Danish bestseller — a transporting story of endings, rebirth and new beginnings, illustrated with the author's own butterfly drawings.
In the darkness of winter, on the first day of the year, a woman in Denmark is making a list. She plans to set out and see every one of her country's native butterfly species — all sixty-four — in a single summer. She knows nothing about butterflies. She doesn't even know why she wants to see them. She just knows that something is calling her.
The Butterfly Season tells the story of what happened next. Lea Korsgaard's list takes her to landscapes she never knew existed, shaped by wind and sea; to secret places and helpful strangers; and into the past — the lives of her ancestors, and the worlds of philosophy and myth, where the butterfly has always symbolised humanity's hope of rebirth. Part field diary, part meditation on the biggest questions: why do we live, and what are we living for?
Praise
“Ecstatic.” — Patrick Barkham, Spectator
“Almost like reading a crime novel… but also like reading a love story.” — Politiken
“Read these pages and your view of the world will never be the same.” — Jyllands-Posten
Perfect for readers of
Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk, Katherine May's Wintering, Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles — and anyone who needs the world re-enchanted. A beautiful gift hardback.
About the author
Lea Korsgaard is an award-winning Danish journalist, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Zetland. Translated by Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg.
