Il lupo solitario: Un cammino tra civiltà e natura selvaggia (I Corvi Vol. 13)

by Adam Weymouth, Luca Fusari (Translator)

È il 2011 e il lupo Slavc lascia le montagne slovene dove è nato. Nel corso di un gelido inverno arriva in Austria, poi in Italia e si stabilisce in Lessinia, nel veronese, dove mette su famiglia con un'altra lupa errante ribattezzata Giulietta. Prima che partisse, in Italia del Nord non si vedevano lupi da secoli. Oggi, da lui discendono interi branchi. Ma l'Europa non è la stessa che ha fa sempre più caldo, c'è stata la Brexit. L'Unione difende i confini con il filo spinato e il populismo dilaga. In un continente cambiato, Adam Weymouth segue a piedi le orme di Slavc, provando a guardare il mondo con gli occhi del lupo, al passo con la natura. Dobbiamo impedire il ritorno del grande carnivoro? Sparargli a vista? O è giusto proteggerlo e accettare che siamo parte di un ecosistema fatto di prede e predatori? Tra un valico e l'altro, frontiera dopo frontiera, il lupo diventa un per alcuni, del selvaggio, dell'istinto feroce, ma anche della cura per i piccoli. Per altri, dell'invasore, del clandestino. Lo raccontano studiosi, contadini, attivisti di microcosmi dimenticati d' dal Carso, crogiolo di lingue e violenza, alla Carinzia, terreno di conquista dell'estrema destra; dal ghiacciaio della Marmolada, ferito e morente, agli altopiani veronesi spopolati. Ultime roccaforti di una cultura in via d'estinzione che da sempre coesiste con un ambiente complesso, ma spesso anche laboratori per una politica che cavalca la rabbia. Con la curiosità del giornalista, lo spirito dell'avventuriero e la penna dello scrittore, Adam Weymouth si chiede cosa ne sarà del nostro continente e dei suoi grandi predatori – lo specchio in cui vorremmo rifletterci, ma anche il capro espiatorio di un futuro imprevedibile.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Travel, Science, History, Natural History

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Abigail Bok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting, from its concept to its execution. The concept is this: in 2011 and 2022, a young male wolf left his birth pack in Slovenia and walked hundreds of miles before settling in the Lessinia region of northern Italy. The author of this book, Adam Weymouth, a decade later set out to follow in his footsteps.

The execution is interesting because of Weymouth’s approach: he could have made it all about his inner journey and his feelings about wolves, as many other “nature” or “travel” writers tend to do with such stories. He has done something much more complex. His feelings and his inner journey are there, but they take a backseat to a shrewd examination of the politics and cultures along the route as they connect to the resurgence of wolves in Europe. He interviews locals, many of them hostile to the presence of wolves; he traces traditional attitudes about these charismatic mega-predators and their impacts today; he gets into challenges to rural lifeways and climate change and how where people come from affects what they think. The pioneering wolf and his own journey become pretexts for a much broader exploration.

Weymouth is clearly a romantic, and he brings a romantic’s sensibility and optimism to a subject desperately in need of them. He is as clear-eyed about the limits of environmental idealism as he is about the tunnel vision of a cattleman, but he does it without excessive wallowing in doom. It is difficult to find seeds of hope in a world so rapidly degrading, but he manages to come up with moments of grace while avoiding naivete.

I liked this book a lot and am not sure why it fell a little short of the perfect 5 stars for me—perhaps because for all his striving toward honesty, he seems still captive to his wish that reality might somehow be evaded.

[Jonathan Slaght · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this for The Atlantic and loved it. My summery: Adam Weymouth "is an uncommon brand of travel writer, weaving natural history with culture and politics....[he] carefully picks at the Gordian knot linking wolves and rural communities, teases out nuances, and tells a complex story of a world in transition.... To observe and absorb the natural-human interface, as Weymouth does, is an art, one that would benefit those on both sides of the wolf divide." Full review: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/arc...

[Katrina Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly written, this is a nature travel memoir following the tracks of one wolf Slavc across Europe, a wolf that migrated and colonised a new area in Italy and became a catalyst for a new era in the story of wolf repopulation.

Adam follows the GPS tracks of this individual animal across Slovenia, Austria and Italy, experiencing a changing landscape and environment. Crossing borders, meeting rural communities, hunters, photographers, scientists, shepherds, he holds fascinating conversations about the realities of living alongside wolves.

Wolves become a political and cultural symbol. Their perceived threat is so closely tangled with the difficulties of agricultural livelihoods, the pressure to reduce the wolf's protected status carries political weight.

In wondering what pushed, motivated and enabled Slavc to travel such a long journey, Adam explores the evolution of wolves, their behaviour and ecological roles.

The reintroduction of wolves is not about going back in time to a simpler idyll and it's not a Grimm's fairy story of a moral villain in our midst. It's about change and adaptation, as our natural world sorely needs.

Politics, culture, conservation and some damn food travel writing. I think this is pretty great.

[Bethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in 2011, a wolf called Slavc was trapped in Slovenia and a GPS tracking collar put on him. Over a decade later Weymouth sets out to follow the journey Slavc took from Slovenia to Italy where he met a female wolf called Juliet and was able to repopulate Lessinia with some packs of wolves.

The book turned out to be a nicely done personal travelogue with gentle and pretty writing along with some history of wolves, how they were seen in Europe and a lot of sociological observations as Weymouth meets with farmers and hunters in dying rural communities along the way who are against the repopulation of wolves in Europe. It does get political as Weymouth draws parallels between wolves and migrants/refugees along with some meditation on the balance between conservation and the more immediate wants and needs of people. (Including Weymouth himself: he has children, eats meat and romanticises sheep farmers despite being worried about climate change and the erosion of nature/species - full disclosure here; I grew up on a sheep farm and didn't like it.) But overall it's quite subtle and balanced, demonstrating that there are no good answers or solutions, which accords with how I see the reality of things to be.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part nature writing, part travel log, with historical information about human/wolf history dating back from prehistoric times to modernity and the stories of real people along Adam's journey. His writing is vivid and comes to life on the page. I could picture myself sitting on an Italian hillside in the cold dawn with the giddy anticipation of seeing a wolf in a wild place it has always belonged despite our best efforts to erase them.

I have always been fascinated by wolves and will always advocate for their survival. My sister is a wildlife biologist and has worked with Mexican wolves, so I am lucky to have an inside perspective into their lives and their importance in our ecosystem. I have seen the Junction Butte Pack in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone. There is nothing quite like seeing wild wolves with your own eyes.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Only five European countries are now without wolves: Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.”

Weymouth relates this remarkable journey in colourful prose which at times borders on the poetic, conjuring up vivid images of the wild, mountainous terrain as well as the valleys, forests and villages he encounters throughout central Europe, following the ghost tracks of Slavc, a lone wolf, who had completed a journey of over 1000 miles, eleven years before him.

In 2016 there were 45 fatal dog attacks in Europe. In 2023 there were 16 fatal dog attacks in the UK alone, not to mention the approximately 15,000 sheep killed by dogs off the leash each year.

As Weymouth traipses through the Alps and its surroundings he comes across many locals who rarely shy away from voicing a forthright opinion or two, as well as meeting an Austrian man who has hand raised around thirty wolves. We begin to build up a wider picture of what it’s like to live in communities impacted by the reality of wolves.

He does a thorough job of dispelling many of the popular myths and nonsense surrounding wolves, which have infected and permeated all aspects of our popular culture and how they still hold so much power and influence over our views and beliefs about them.

“People in towns make massacres on mice, on rats, on pigeons. But on the other side, they would protect wolves, they would protect bears. But not in their towns. They would protect them here.”

We see the many serious issues that can arise when rewilding, when viewed as a Disney movie, feeding the public with sanitised images of cute, cuddly animals roaming the pleasant, green lands. But of course it’s very easy and seductive for (mostly) well-meaning liberals advocating the re-introduction of giant, wild animals, when they do so from the safe, sanctuary of their cities, secure in the knowledge that it’s never something that they or indeed their family, children or livestock would have to consider on a day to day basis.

“Hunters and farmers managed the wolf for centuries, that’s why we still have wolves.”

This is one of those dilemmas which reminds you again of the many serious issues created when ignorant metropolitan politicians make ill-informed decisions aimed at gaining votes at the expense of many people’s lived reality and livelihood who live outside of those big towns and cities.

Wolves, just like bears can and do, and continue to kill people of all ages, it may be rare, but it happens and in spite of the repeated and robust scientific evidence, there are always going to be those who simply refuse to believe that it happens. Likely the same kind of people who go on crazed rants about vapour trails, 5 G and the world being flat.

At one point the author reflects on a previous journey he took walking from England to Turkey, summarising,

“Of course in many ways I am the right kind of wanderer what with my expensive boots and my passport in my pocket. On the way to Istanbul I assumed that all hospitality was just the way the world worked, if only you opened yourself to it. I have since understood that not everyone on foot is so accepted, or so safe. A safe and simple passage depends on certain privileges of race, gender, and class; of having the right documents; of walking by choice and not by force.”

"Lone Wolf" throws up many interesting issues, not just the many issues surrounding increased contact and wolves growing bolder and crossbreeding, which is obviously detrimental to their evolution. But when your livelihood, health and entire future is potentially impacted by the unpredictable, predatory nature of these wild killers preying on your animals it can suddenly seem like an entirely different proposition altogether.

So this is an enjoyable read, even if it can get a little dull in patches and to be fair the map drawing skills are a bit on the shabby side and really could have done with a bit of polishing?...But this did make me think about both sides of wolves and it also brings home the reality of the impending climate catastrophe.

[Dharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely fantastic book. I have learned so much both in terms of the history of wolves as well as what it means to be human in a world where we live in nature, not against it. Weymouth's ability to shelve his personal story at times and provide excellent commentary on history, people, and government is quite phenomenal. But what pushed this from a four star to a five star read is the complete and utter child-like wonder and admiration that Weymouth has for everything around him. He made me yearn to walk Slavc's path and sleep under the stars.

[Amelia Marz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant book.

Notably, it's about wolves. Wolves in Europe, wolves everywhere, and how they have been repopulating the wilderness after nearly going extinct due to centuries of humans killing them.


Also notably, this book isn't just about wolves. It's about the political state of the world- namely European countries, but everywhere- and how the political world shapes how people feel about wildlife, immigrants, and conservation efforts. This is a book about small farmers, (a dying profession, by the way,) and how much work it takes to have a farm and keep the animals safe. This is a book about just how much beauty there is in the natural world, but also about how terrifying it is to live with the elements, in the modern age, in the midst of climate change in a world that is rapidly changing for better or for worse.

Adam Weymouth has a fantastic narrative, and in 2021, he hiked the same path that Slavc the Slovenian wolf took in 2011. Slavc made a huge development for the wolf in Europe- again, most European wolves had been eradicated- when he miraculously found his mate, Juliet, and they pretty much repopulated and rebooted the wolf population in Italy. It's an incredible journey, really, from Slovenia to Italy on foot.

This book gets into the nitty gritty on politics and how people feel about the wolf. From it's villainization to it's sainthood, the wolf is an animal that humans have always found a reason to mythologize. The wolf kills the cows; the wolf is welcome at our table. The wolf will eat your babies and terrorize the community; the wolf is one of the smartest animals in the entire world, and is actually a very shy creature, preferring his own territory to that of humans. The werewolf, the pack animal, the rabid dog, the first inter-species friend to mankind.

Weymouth's writing and the way he weaves Slavc's story, the history of mankind, and the history of the wolf is incredible. I learned so much while reading this; it gave me hope while also making me very sad. Feeling empathy for the small farmers while also understanding that killing all of the wolves in the area is not the answer to the problem of the wolves preying on their sheep and cows. It's scary, to see how fascist governments can easily rise out of a population that is scared of losing their way of life; as Weymouth says, fascism needs a scapegoat. Whether it's the wolf, or immigrants, these far-right governments are creating a world where people live in fear of the unknown, and it's a breeding ground for violence, cruelty, and scapegoating minorities when in reality, the problem is the politicians.

This book covers a broad range of topics, obviously. Weymouth comes into contact with a plethora of different people on his journey; from farmers to scientists to hunters to shepherds to local carnies at their regional festivals. He learns the way of life, sits and waits for wolves to come, and finds peace in the quiet, still hours of the morning.

I think that this is a landmark of a book, and there is so much information and history and feeling to the entire thing it's difficult to put into words. I was invested in Slavc, in his journey. I don't want the wolves to be run-off again. If anything, I have learned that the best ecosystems are the ones that work how they're supposed to, with large carnivores at the top of the food chain. The minute the large carnivores leave, is the minute the habitat fails.

The wolf. He is a mystery, and yet, he is just like us. He is nomadic, he is a family creature, he is loyal, and given the right opportunity, he will create a home in any environment. There is a way to live in peace with this creature, this animal, who has held both human fascination and contempt for so long. There is also a way to live in peace with each other, and with our natural world, and to share this place we call home. There is definite work to be done, and it is not an easy road to fix the endemic issues that plague mankind, but I do believe there is away to do it. The first place to start is by having hope, and by seeing the humanity in everyone who walks upon this Earth.

[JIm Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Adam Weymouth’s Kings of the Yukon and rating it one of the very best books about nature that I have read, I was eager to read Lone Wolf. It did not disappoint. Slavc, a wolf whose home was in Slovenia, traveled hundreds of miles to Italy where he met his mate and began the repopulation of wolves in the mountains there. Slavc was tracked by a GPS radio collar. Years later Weymouth walked Slavc’s path visiting with people along the way and discussing how wolves affect the landscape. The way they are perceived in different areas and by different people differ but in general the wolf is not a popular creature. Although wolves can be problematic for those in agriculture they are also scapegoats for other problems.

Weymouth has a way about him that encourages people to interact openly and informative discussions take place even with those with whom he disagrees. Weymouth’s writing style makes the reader feel that he/she is trekking along with him. He includes cultural and social information from the various areas leaving the reader feeling more knowledgeable about the people who reside there.

I live in Colorado, a state where wolves have been reintroduced relatively recently. The conversations Weymouth had in Europe can just as easily be found here. The reintroduction in Colorado has been controversial and was barely passed on a ballot issue. The final chapter has not been written here.

I opened by stating that Kings of the Yukon is one of the best books about nature that I have read. I can now add Lone Wolf to that short list. I highly recommend Lone Wolf and look forward to the next book by Adam Weymouth.

Jim Jordan

[Debby Binns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on BBC sounds - but I wish I had read the full book. Adam Weymouth embarks on a challenging journey- on foot where he walks in the proper wilderness through the heart of Europe. A Wolf inspired this trip and what a fabulous story it is - he has followed in the footsteps of this wild creature (who was tagged), until he found a mate. He describes the connection and conflict between nature and people beautifully. I now want to read his first book - Kings of the Yukon as I love stories involving long distance walking.

[Sarah Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling in every possible way!

[Vansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves used to be the most numerous land mammal, found on every single continent, a million years ago, living in environments as varied as the Eurasian steppes, south Indian scrublands, downs in England, surviving temperatues from 50 degrees C to Minus 50 degrees C. Settled agriculture started, with the taming of livestock, and wolves started being regarded as pests-despite wolves almost never attacking humans(well, unless they were very very hungry and humans were the only prey available). They went from most numerous to hunted to near extinction in a matter of centuries, and this was celebrated as a dangerous predator, responsible for the loss of livestock, was eliminated. However, slowly but steadily, wolf populations started increasing, without actively introducing the animals to the habitat, apart from a few regulations on hunting them and improving biodiversity. Wolves managed to increase their populations by themselves, and that hasn’t been explained entirely well. In Slovenia, that still has a reasonably thriving wolf population, in 2011, some wolves were fitted with GPS collars, to track their movements and their habitats, and given names and tracked by the University of LLubjana, headed by Hubert Potocnic. To their complete bafflement, the researchers noticed the little blinking dot representing a wolf they called Slavc( pronounced “Shlowsch”. Sort of) going walkabout, in directions they did not expect at all. By the time Slavc’s little dot stopped ranging widely, it was months later, and he was in Verona, having walked(and swum) possibly 2000 kilometres, across farms, cities, highways, woodlands and countries. He would have had to have swum across the Drava River-900 feet across. The incredible part of this story is that Slavc ended his journey in woods to the north of Verona, where he met a female wolf, also on her own walkabout, and they started a pack of their own, returning wolves to a land where they had been extinct for nearly 2 centuries. Nearly a decade later, Adam Weymouth decides to follow in his path, to see what Slavc could see, and what he made of it. It starts with where Slavc was born, in a burrow, and Weymouth explains that full grown wolves( within 18 months of being born) are expected to leave and find another pack or form one-both solitary and communitarian in that way. Weymouth gets all the locations of Slavc’s journeys on his phone, and also plots them on an actual map, and realizes why the wolf took the seemingly circuitous route , doubling back many times-to avoid settlements, highways, and to find sources of food. It’s incredible how truly unknowable other species are- Weymouth writes of some wolf packs that stay within the erstwhile Iron Curtain borders of Slovenia, and deer in forests in border areas between the former West Germany and GDR, who don’t cross over, memories of those borders still somehow passed down to generations born decades after the fall of the Wall, that hold a map of the Cold War in their instincts, handed down to them.
Weymouth writes of the systematic, almost joyous hunting of wolves, with Charlemagne being the first ruler to bring State power to back the extermination of wolves, pests that preyed on farms. The animals were demonized as cruel monsters that only existed to kill in as savage a way as possible, though the ways humans trapped, shot, poisoned,beheaded,skinned and strung them up ( and continue to do so)seem far more savage. It reminded me of the movie ‘Wolf Totem’, and a similar policy of exterminating wolves followed in it. Rewards were given for the number of wolf skins brought and their numbers started crashing. Weymouth writes of some interesting conversations with hunters-all done in secret, in Slovenia, where hunting a wolf is still a matter of prestige. In the EU as well, hunting wolves is apparently almost a cultural activity, as one hunter puts it, it’s considered a feat of strength to outwit an animal this intelligent and strong ( though they don’t seem to acknowledge that they’re using guns against a creature just using its brains and teeth). The conversation turns to Brexit, with the Slovenian telling Weymouth that soon he’ll realise the benefits of exiting the EU, the main one (to him) being the reduction in the number of immigrants. Weymouth tells him it has several disadvantages-for this book itself, Weymouth could not follow Slavc’s route in one long hike, with no unstinted access anymore, he had to break up his travels into multiple back and forth journeys. Another fascinating encounter is with a sheep farmer, who can’t take his sheep to pasture on the hills anymore because of the increased wolf population there due to EU hunting prohibitions. He writes of the difficulties they face having to keep the sheep penned in a reinforced enclosure specially during summers, when animals usually feed in the cooler nights, something they can’t do now because of attacks by wolves. While the EU compensates farmers for building these shelters, and for losses caused by wolf attacks( around 5 million EUR annually), those payments take time to actually be processed, with the onus being on farmers to prove losses due to wolves. Some of the problems associated with wolves are eternal, and it isn’t easy to really pick a side.
As Weymouth travels on, he writes of his conversations with other farmers, and the influence they have electorally, in some ways, despite making up just 2% of the population. While farming is under threat, from climate change, wars, economic, rapacious agribusiness practices, the blame ends up being apportioned to very different reasons-migrants, wolves and an annoyingly (as they see it) pro-nature, anti-farmer bureaucracy, in a strange conflation. One of the farmers in Austria was a researcher who worked closely with wolves, and continues to use those principles in her farm, and she speaks about the hostility she faces from all the surrounding farms, to the extent she’s frightened they’ll burn down her house for expressing views advocating co-existence with wolves, as humans did for centuries. It’s interesting how Weymouth weaves in hardening nationalistic attitudes with the story of the wolves-many express views that a cabal of “elites” are allowing in migrants eating their food and taking their homes, and aren’t bothered when Weymouth points out that there are no migrants at all in those villages. Similarly, they tell Weymouth of left-wing types sending wolves to their forests-according to them Slavc did not make his own way across Europe, his GPS collar told him where to go, and others in the EU are even parachuting wolves into Italy. The EU attitudes towards wolves are also slowly changing, with Weymouth saying that a wolf made a major PR mistake in attacking a pony-it belonged to the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, who then proceeded to give multiple speeches about the evil of wolves and the deep distress to her family, and then started increasing the number of hunting licenses for wolves. This makes for uncomfortable reading, more like knee-jerk revenge against the wolves rather than a considered response.
Weymouth captures the sense of wonder and excitement that Italian forest rangers and conservationists felt when they first heard of attacks on livestock in the Valpolicella area, in 2012, that resembled wolf attacks. They were rewarded for their diligence in getting permission to set up camera traps, in the Lessinia Natural Park north of Verona, by coming across wolf tracks in the snow-described as a needle in the haystack, noting that there were no tracks like that for thousands of miles around. The researchers find clearly visible tracks indicating not one, but 2 wolves-which explains why Slavc stopped walking when he did, having scented a female of suitable reproductive age and biology. In some lovely writing, Weymouth describes the trackers following the tracks indicating the wolves playing with each other, and gambolling around in the snow, much to their delight. The local press named the female wolf Juliet, and in 2013, the first litter of wolf cubs in more than a hundred years made their appearance. Slavc and Juliet had more litters as well, effectively re-populating the area with a wolf population. Farmers in the area, though livestock herders practicing transhumance aren’t so happy, and express a completely “us vs them” attitude, petitioning the government to allow more hunting and culling of the wolf packs. Weymouth also meets one of the agricultural workers on the farm, who’s a Moroccan immigrant who left an increasingly drought-prone farm, failing tomato harvests, failing olive harvests, to seek his fortunes elsewhere, and reaches this farm after years of traveling, on foot, by dangerous boats that sink sometimes, across Greece, Serbia, Austria, Spain, getting incarcerated and beaten by the police, before he reaches his reasonably good life at this farm in Verona. He doesn’t really care about the wolves, but Weymouth writes of him having some sympathy for the way they’re spoken about. There was not a single wolf till Slavc and Juliet came to Lessinia, and now, a decade since, the European wolf is listed as a “species of least concern”. Juliet was killed by wolves from the Eastern Lessinia Pack-a pack that existed because of her. The last photo of Slavc was from August 2022, and from analysis of bones found both wolves were 12 years old when they died-twice the average age of a wild wolf. This is an astonishing love story for the ages. In an amazingly subversive piece of writing, Weymouth compares wolves to disruptors-they “move fast, break things, are provocative and as symbolic as they are ecological. They demand answers. Can we cede space? Can we sanction risk? Can we cope with change? Can we permit ourselves to fall back in love with the world? Wolves have shown that over millions of years, they are supremely adaptable to change. As asnimals and humans, those great migrators on this planet have shown, movement is existential necessity. In times of crisis, nothing can be contained. In times of need ,we move.”

[Deborah Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ecology means the way everything is connected to everything else, than this very interesting book could be called a pretty deep dive into the mostly 21st century ecology of the mountainous region of central Europe. In December of 2011, a single young male wolf, one of only 34 remaining in Slovenia, who had happened to be radio tagged as a pup and dubbed Slavc by a Slovenian research team, left the home territory of his natal pack and headed northwest. He traveled over 1000 miles, wandering through northern Slovenia and the Austrian Alps before heading south and taking up residence in the mountainous uplands of northern Italy. There he found a lone female wolf, settled down, and sired many young, who went on to repopulate northern Italy with their descendants.

Twelve years later the author, a British writer and outdoorsman, endeavored to follow the gps record of Slavc’s wandering. I loved his immersion in the physicality of the landscape he traversed, and his speculations on what Slavc might have experienced in the same locales. “You notice such things when you walk. That countries do not contain separate, impregnable identities, but that language and culture and disease and windblown seeds and wolves and weather bleed from one into another.”

Like the wolf, he wandered here and there and explored many related topics: the recent history of large carnivores in Europe, from their near extinction in the Western countries by the end of the 19th century to their gradual resurgence after the EU banned wolf killing in 1992, and even more so when 10 mostly eastern European countries joined the EU in 2004; how dogs were domesticated from their wolf ancestors; that the common concept of the “alpha” wolf, dominating and aggressive, isn’t true; the performance of an ancient scapegoating ceremony in a small Slovenian town in which the hardships of winter are piled onto the back of one character who is beaten and driven out (and the history and prevalence of the scapegoat archetype, and the way both wolves and human immigrants are placed in that role); how the decline of mountain small-scale farming has been blamed on the increasing presence of wolves, and how the emotion that generates has been used by right-wing political parties to gain support, although the bigger causes are EU agricultural policy, the migration of mountain youth to easier lives in cities, and even the destruction of mountain forests by the spruce bark beetle. The author does a pretty good job of balancing his apparent favoring of the rewilding of portions of Europe with listening to and sympathizing with the experiences of the people who live in the mountainous places that are most effected.

“The mountains have long been the last strongholds not only of predators, but also of culture. Just as we are suffering a biodiversity crisis, so we are suffering an equivalent collapse in cultural diversity, and I have long believed that their regeneration must go hand in hand if we are to make sense of our place upon this planet.”

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dicembre 2011. Slavc, un lupo sloveno provvisto di radiocollare, lascia il suo branco d’origine e parte. È un lupo giovane, nato e cresciuto in un territorio di confine, tra la Slovenia, il Carso triestino e la Croazia. È abituato al rumore delle auto per via della vicina autostrada, sa come evitare di essere investito, conosce bene le abitudini degli esseri umani, ma non è mai uscito dal suo territorio. Il 19 dicembre, per la prima volta, si avventura oltre quei confini. Si sposta prevalentemente di notte per evitare incontri sgraditi, caccia, si ferma, riparte. Sembra quasi abbia una meta. Attraversa la Slovenia, l’Austria, il Trentino Alto Adige e infine giunge in Veneto, in Lessinia. Impiega tre mesi, da dicembre a marzo. Lì incontra una lupa, sola come lui, che verrà ribattezzata dalla stampa Giulietta. Con lei Slavc dà vita al suo branco; i cuccioli, a loro volta, creano nuovi branchi, fino a ripopolare completamente e stabilmente le alpi italiane. Dieci anni dopo, Adam Weymouth, mappa alla mano, decide di fare a piedi lo stesso percorso di Slavc, fermandosi nei paesi, parlando con allevatori, agricoltori, appassionati come lui, studiosi. Nel libro, l’autore alterna il racconto del viaggio di Slavc con riflessioni personali sul cambiamento climatico, i flussi migratori e la gestione della fauna selvatica, orso incluso. C’è quindi un po’ di politica, ma non troppa. Quando si tratta di lupi, con l’eccezione dei tomi di biologia e dei libri fotografici, il rischio è sempre quello di una narrazione sbilanciata. Adam Weymouth dimostra fin dalle prime righe sensibilità e rispetto non solo nei confronti della natura, ma anche delle opinioni diverse dalle sue. Una cosa non da poco. Certo ha una visione romantica di questo animale splendido, difficile fare altrimenti quando si è appassionati, ma la sua vasta conoscenza gli permette di argomentare. Cos’ha davvero spinto Slavc a partire è impossibile saperlo con certezza, ma è incredibile pensare a quanta strada abbia fatto, al modo in cui i due lupi, una in Italia e l’altro in Slovenia, si siano sentiti, cercati e trovati, come fossero legati dal filo rosso del destino, un filo che giorno dopo giorno diventava sempre più corto. Emozionante leggere dell’incontro, testimoniato dalle impronte sulla neve, di Slavc da un lato e di Giulietta dall’altro. E poi le impronte di entrambi che si allontanavano insieme.

Ho letto questo libro facendo il tifo per Slavc, quasi dimenticando che la sua storia si è svolta più di dieci anni fa. Mi sono arrabbiata e commossa. Sarò sempre dalla parte del lupo e mai dalla parte di chi ha il potere di decidere se un animale merita lo status di protezione o meno, perché chi ha questo potere di solito lo sfrutta a suo piacimento, approfittando della scarsa conoscenza, della rabbia e delle difficoltà di chi è facilmente manipolabile. Sarò sempre dalla parte del Lupo perché per quanto in molte cose lupi e uomini si assomigliano, lui resta un animale e si comporta come tale. Non si può educare, ma le persone sì.

Se c’è una cosa che possiamo imparare dalla vita di Slavc, penso, è che perfino quando hai tutti i pronostici contro, perfino quando non sai che cosa c’è al di là dell’orizzonte, ha ancora senso alzarsi alle prime luci e andare a cercarlo. Là fuori c’è qualcun altro che sta facendo la stessa cosa, e cerca te.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wolf archetype runs very deep in our psyche; wolves appear in our most ancient legends and folk tales. As Weymouth writes, "I often wonder whether any animal has likewise dominated the territory of our subconscious." This book explores all aspects of this animal that humans love and admire, but also hate and fear. The author follows the path of a lone wolf named Slavc, who ten years ago made a solitary trek from Slovenia across the Alps to Italy. Slovene researchers had placed a GPS monitor on Slavc at the time, and this allowed Weymouth to now re-create his journey practically step by step. Slavc's adventure resulted in the area becoming re-populated by wolves. Was this a good thing, or a very bad one? People whom Weymouth meets have hold strong and differing opinion on the matter.

During Weymouth's journey, the boundary between man and wolf blur as he starts to see the world from Slavc's eyes. Boundaries are a central theme in this book. The story is as much about Slavc's journey as it is about Weymouths, as he crosses through towns and countries and notices those things that tie people togther. As he writes, "You notice such things when you walk, that countries do not contain separate, impregnable identities, but that language and culture and disease and windblown seeds and wolves and weather blend from one into another."

Boundaries become a volatile issue as the wolves wander freely, killing livestock. This poses a big dilemma for the farmers: Should they erect fences to keep the wolves out and protect their sheep, an expensive proposition? Should the laws change to allow for the shooting of wolves? It should be noted that the same debate is going on in the U.S.

Weymouth is on the side of the wolves, but he explores the issue in a balanced and nuanced way. He also touches on the problems of modern life, such as climate change, immigration, loss of connection with nature. Towards the end of the book, he poses a hopeful question: "...if we can learn to love that which was once most reviled, might we not find similar compassion elsewhere?"

A really excellent book. Very grateful to the publisher and Goodreads for this copy.

[Vardaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing.

I read Weymouth's first book, Kings of the Yukon, and was blown away by it -- the way he weaves together the rhythms of nature and people, the histories of both, and does it in gorgeous, clear writing -- but this is even better.

Lone Wolf tells two stories in parallel. The first is about a GPS-tagged wolf, Slavc, who walked from Slovenia to Italy, and there met another wolf. Together they reintroduced wolves to that part of Italy for the first time in hundreds of years. Slavc's story is absolutely fascinating -- to see how the wolf chooses routes, where he delays, why, what he likes, what he avoids, all of it. The other story is the walk Weymouth takes in Slavc's footsteps. He follows all 600-some points on Slavc's route and sees what Slavc saw. But he also talks to everyone. And you get this amazing, richly-textured cross-section of perspectives on the reintroduction of the wolf, on what we do when we try to "preserve" the countryside, and even on the EU -- who can come in and who can go, who can stay and live with us and who has to move on, who isn't welcome. The book blends ecology, history, politics, fairytale and myth, and Weymouth shows you how they all relate to each other. It's a hell of a trick.

The best part of this book is how Weymouth gets people to open up. He really listens and gives people I'm sure he disagrees with a fair hearing. He talks to experts and farmer, conservationists and hunters, small-town politicians, biologists, grandmothers, asylum seekers -- and you get all of their stories and arguments, and you make up your own mind.

Lots of books are beautifully written, and lots are deeply instructive, or thought-provoking; very few are all three. I will be thinking about Lone Wolf for a long time. Essential reading.

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this author's previous book, Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North, about his travels in northern Canada and Alaska following the salmon migration. I therefore was eager to read this one, and I am not disappointed.

Once again, he embarks on a challenging journey, this time on foot, and discovers true wilderness in the heart of Europe. And again, an animal inspired his route, though now it's not a species, but a particular individual: a wolf named Slavc. By following in his footsteps, the author tries to truly understand this wild creature, as well as the connection and conflict between nature and people.

As I love long-distance walking, many of the author's reflections on the topic deeply resonated with me. Like this quote:

“It is a long time since I have gone for a long walk but already it’s coming back. How after a few days it feels as though your body was meant for this. My legs feel stronger, my back stops aching. I develop the encrusted grin and slightly wild eyes that come from several nights outside”.

Beautifully written, this book is full of fascinating stories and observations. It is also very timely — the EU weakened legal protections for wolves just this spring. The future looks bleak for these magnificent animals.

Thanks to the publisher, Crown, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those remarkable non fiction reads that manages to be so wide ranging and so interesting. The environment, conservation, history, sociology, nationalism, flora and fauna, geology, migration of humans and wolves among other subjects.

Sure this is about a remarkable journey by Slavc, a young male wolf who travels from Slovenia where he was born, via Austria to Italy. While I found that remarkable some wolf migrations have been even longer. The author follows the trail largely on foot and experiences the places and people that Slavc passed by. The lives of those he meets are always interesting if sometimes controversial - wolves moving in to areas that have not been in for centuries sometimes arouses passion among many and is quite divisive at times.

I hadn't realised just how little I knew about wolves and found the new information fascinating. There is a bit on wolves and dogs and why we are so keen on one and have little time/fear of the other. It is about people so deeply rooted in their environments that its amazing. For anyone with a real interest in wildlife, conservation, rewilding and the like this would be a good read. However it does cover much more that that. A great non fiction read - 4.5/5

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lone Wolf is a beautifully crafted, deeply reflective work that merges nature writing, travelogue, and social commentary into one unforgettable journey. Through the story of Slavc the wolf who crossed 1,200 miles of rugged terrain to repopulate the Italian AlpsAdam Weymouth creates a profound meditation on connection, migration, and survival.

What makes this book remarkable is its layered narrative. It’s not just about a wolf it’s about us. Weymouth parallels the animal’s odyssey with humanity’s own struggles over territory, belonging, and identity. His prose is rich and lyrical, his observations empathetic and incisive. The Alps come alive through his storytelling, serving as both physical landscape and metaphor for the delicate balance between civilization and wildness.

Lone Wolf stands as a testament to the resilience of life in all its forms. It challenges readers to rethink what it means to coexist with nature and to question how our boundaries, both literal and moral, shape the world we inhabit. It’s one of those rare works that feel both intimate and sweeping, written with the heart of a poet and the eye of a journalist.

[Andy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently short-listed for the Baillie Gifford prize, this is the sort of conservation writing that I really enjoy reading, in that it considers both sides of the argument, those for and against the repopulation of the wolf.

In 2012, a young wolf who had been named Slavc wandered into the Lessini Mountains of Italy, thereby completing a 1200 mile route from Slovenia, where he was born. This was a dangerous place for a wolf to settle as the region had been intentionally wolf free for more than a hundred and fifty years. Slavc, who had been fitted with a GPS collar by Slovenian biologists, soon encountered a female, another wanderer, but from the south. They became a pair, the first spark of a lupine renaissance.

Weymouth determines to walk the path the wolf took, a thousand miles over a six month period, with a rucksack and camping gear, crossing the same passes and borders, sleeping in the same forests. On route he speaks with politicians, farmers, shepherds and hunters to understand how the reemergence of wolves has troubled rural communities in the Alps.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2011, a young wolf, Slavc (who had previously been trapped and had a GPS collar), set out from his home in Slovenia walking more than 1000 miles before finding his way to the Italian Alps where he met another wolf, Juliet. He settled there and they formed a pack - becoming somewhat local famous due to the tracking of his journey. In 2022, Adam Weymouth set out to follow Slavc's route on foot, engaging with those he met about the re-emergence of wolves in most of Europe. If you've read about the controversies around the wolves near Yellowstone, you won't be surprised to see the conflicting points of view here. Weymouth did an exceptional job turning this work of part nature-writing, part travelogue into a rich exploration of the intersection between wolves and humans over generations. Intertwined with us are issues of borders and the right of government to limit local responses to wolves and their attacks on livestock. This was really, really well done and I want to read more by this author.

[Julie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the advanced reading copy (though I listened to it via my library Borrowbox app).

"If we protect the wolf absolutely then we will destroy the wolf"

In 2021 Adam Weymouth set off to retrace the footsteps of GPS tagged wolf Slavc from Slovenia and through the Alps to find out how the reintroduction of this most fabled creature has been met by people living alongside him.

In sharp contrast to the wolf lovers, Weymouth meets plenty of locals who see the wolf as a threat to their livelihoods and neighbourhoods and want the wolf culled.

With some razor sharp writing about the effects of climate change in action on the landscape around him and how nature doesn't respect borders, this is a fascinating and insightful read for fans of Robert MacFarlane and Nick Hayes.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. I wanted to read a book about a wolf's journey, but it was more about the author's journey (which wasn't that interesting). I quit reading after finishing about 60% of the book, as the author, who despite being only minimally talented, could not keep his far-left-wing politics out of this book. He constantly made pejorative comments like "far right", but did not once use the term "far left." Also, way too much nonsense about global warming. When he started criticizing the correct-thinking people who challenged the governments' misinformation about the COVID, that's when I quit reading. Just a hint to the author: when you set out to right a book about a wolfe, write a book about a wolfe. And, keep your politics to yourself.

[Aaron Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weymouth is certainly one of the great travel writers of this generation, confidently guiding us on a compelling journey that covers such diverse subjects as the reintroduction of wolves into the heart of Europe, climate change, the rise of populist politics and the history of 18th century werewolf trials in Austria.

I was hooked from beginning to end by the evocative language, the obscure history, the contemporary politics but - most of all - Weymouth's ability to listen and observe situations. There is a quiet brilliance to his writing that breathes life into everything - the wolves, the people, the landscape.

Jaw-droppingly good.

[Katie Grice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living near Yellowstone National Park, I was immediately captivated by Lone Wolf. Through his journey retracing Slav's steps, Adam Weymouth delivers a candid account of the complex relationship between humans and wolves throughout history, and into modern times. I've always been fascinated by wolves, and Weymouth taught this reader a few things. This read will take you through incredible landscapes and the unique prospective of those who work the lands. It will touch on the impact of climate change and political landscapes as well. This is a must read for those who appreciate a connection to nature.

Many thanks to Crown Publishing for the Advanced Readers Copy.

[Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was phenomenally written
this is made to be popular nonfiction, journalistic nonfiction that was a treat to read even if the reality of what's discussed hits close to home. this is about more than just a wolf.
there are definitely parts that are fictive scene, but they are not unrealistic nor distracting from the points and I think made it a better book
very admirable journalistic work, and i am once more jealous of (white) men who are able to go on this kind of journey

this is a side point coming from my teacher-brain: but this would be an interesting book to teach figurative language out of because this guy LOVES an idiom

[Red Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You to Crown Publishing Group for this free book in exchange of my honest review of Lone Wolf: Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wildness by Adam Weymouth.
This was a captivating page turning read about one wolf's travel. It started from across the Alps and into Italy, but it's also the revival of this animal and what it tells us about our unity to nature and more. It was written well and I'm looking forward to reading more books from this author. Overall, this was one that I loved and would recommend to any reader especially to those who like nature, animals or nonfiction reads.

[David Rudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

English writer Weymouth follows the path of a radio collared wolf across Slovenia, Austria and Italy. This wolf, named Slavc, turns out to be a pioneer of a population increase in wolves across many countries in Europe.

It isn’t smooth sailing as politics shift to the right against, wolves, bears and immigrants and the EU shifts as well towards the right. The wolf’s future alongside mankind is still tenuous at best.

Weymouth’s journey, his talks with people from many walks of life illustrate our ambiguous relationship with the natural world at a time of global climate change and wild animal and plant species going extinct.

[Nigel Quinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy was titled Lone Wolf: Walking the Fault Lines of Europe. Ostensibly about the journey of a lone wolf from Slovenia to Trentino through Austria, it offers a great insight into the political tensions in the mountain communities of the eastern Alps. The fear of the wolf mirrors the fear of immigrants and the antagonism towards the EU - “Brussels” - who were responsible for both - leaves space for the right to prosper. Adam Weymouth manages to combine sympathy for the resentment of the locals with his fascination for the wolf and his evident liberal leanings, reminding us that simple positions are rarely satisfactory solutions.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author follows path of wolf who was radio-collared in Slovenia in 2011 and who then travelled to Italy. There he met a female wolf who had travelled from the west, they mated and had cubs. By the time the author visited that area the wolf population had grown significantly. Interesting in parts, describing wolves and farmers living in remote areas; other parts, comparing attitudes towards and scapegoating of wolves with politics, less so. Worth reading for the good bits, but went on rather too long.