Action Curwood, James Oliver: The Grizzly King. V1. 17 Jan 2009

[crutledge]

James Oliver Curwood, (June 12, 1878 – August 13, 1927), was an American novelist and conservationist.
A great number of his works were turned into movies, several of which starred Nell Shipman as a brave and adventurous woman in the wilds of the north. Many films from Curwood's writings were made during his lifetime, as well as after his passing through to the 1950s. In 1988 French director Jean-Jacques Annaud used his 1916 novel, The Grizzly King to make the film The Bear. Annaud's success generated a renewed interest in Curwood's stories that resulted in five more films being produced in 1994 and 1995.
James Oliver Curwood lived most of his life in Owosso, Michigan, where he was born on June 12, 1878. His first novel was The Courage of Captain Plum (1908) and he published one or two novels each year thereafter, until his death on August 13, 1927. Owosso residents honor his name to this day, and Curwood Castle (built in 1922) is the town's main tourist attraction. During the 1920s Curwood became one of America's best selling and most highly paid authors. This was the decade of his lasting classics The Valley of Silent Men (1920) and The Flaming Forest (1921). He and his wife Ethel were outdoors fanatics and active conservationists.


Excerpt
One has to hunt and kill and hunt and kill for years before he discovers the real pleasure in big game stalking," he said slowly, looking into the fire. "And when he comes down to that real pleasure, the part of it that absorbs him heart and soul, he finds that after all the big thrill isn't in killing, but in letting live. I want this grizzly, and I'm going to have him. I won't leave the mountains until I kill him. But, on the other hand, we could have killed two other bears to-day, and I didn't take a shot. I'm learning the game, Bruce--I'm beginning to taste the real pleasure of hunting. And when one hunts in the right way one learns facts. You needn't worry. I'm going to put only facts in what I write.

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[Anarel]

The Grizzly King by James Oliver Curwood is about Thor, a massive grizzly bear in his prime who happens upon an orphan black bear cub, Muskwa and allows him to tag along. Meanwhile, two humans, Langdon and Bruce enter the woods and upon sighting Thor, are determined not to leave the forest without killing him. The chase begins! This book is raw: neither Thor and Muskwa, the humans that chase them or the battles they enter are romanticized. This book was a beautiful exploration of the relationship between nature and man, and what happens when the survival of one is threatened by the other.

My only complaint with this book is that it had to end. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves books from the perspective of animals, like Watership Down, Plague Dogs or Foxes of Firstdark.

Thanks for posting this, the Amazon version of this book had more than a few problems.