Syntax of the River: The Pattern Which Connects

by Barry Lopez, Julia Martin

Barry Lopez had no illusions about the seriousness of our global crisis, yet he also felt a deep conviction about the power of hope and the sources of renewal in the living world. Syntax of the River  is an extended conversation spanning three days between Lopez and Julia Martin in which he explores what this juxtaposition means for him as a writer.

On the first day Lopez reflects on years watching the McKenzie  River near his home in Oregon. He describes the quality of attention he learned from intimacy with the place a very fine distinction between silence and stillness, the rich complexities of the present moment, and the syntax of interrelationships between living things.

The second day is concerned with the work of making sentences and books. Lopez shares his practical strategies for writing and revising a manuscript and goes on to speak about vulnerability. He says he often experienced a deep sense of doubt about his capacity to achieve whatever he was trying to do in a particular project. Over time, though, this characteristic experience of not-knowing became a kind of fuel for his work, and even a weapon at times.

On the final day, Lopez ponders the idea of writing as a praxis, a way of life, even a prayer for the earth, while concurrently being terrified by the portents of its destruction. Here, the experience of being an attentive participant emerges as his core teaching. Over the decades he developed a practice of attention that was endlessly curious and enthralled by the living world, what he calls its pattern or syntax. Despite acclaim as a celebrated writer, throughout his career Lopez humbly tasked himself with making a combination of wonder and horror work together to effectively communicate a life journey of contemplation, exploration, and discovery.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Writing

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

Barry Holstun Lopez is an American author, essayist, and fiction writer whose work is known for its environmental and social concerns.

Lopez has been described as "the nation's premier nature writer" by the San Francisco Chronicle. In his non-fiction, he frequently examines the relationship between human culture and physical landscape, while in his fiction he addresses issues of intimacy, ethics and identity.

Reviews

[Tim Lenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t mistake the size of this book for its impact. It is not only an insightful look into the mind of what it means to be an artist but is a work of art itself.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry’s grounded and observant perspective to life is what I’d like to achieve in my life. It’s easy to forget the connection between things and tunnel vision into tasks at hand but understanding that we are one point in an ecosystem and continuously explore our ecosystem and interactions brings about values/knowledge that would otherwise be easily forgotten.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2010 Julia Martin interviewed Lopez at his home on the McKenzie River. Lopez died on Christmas Day 2020, four months after the Holiday Fire that consumed his beloved 38 acres of deep forest and his workshop with his lifetime of writing notes and archives. This book is published by Martin in collaboration with Lopez's wife, Debra Gwartney. Part One delves into Lopez' unquenchable curiosity about the world. He was constantly observant, listening, touching, tasting. Part Two concentrates on his passion for writing which he says requires hunger and discipline. Without those things, writing is only technique. Part 3 is a reflection on the state of the world, global warming and the global changes in culture and society that he sees coming. Thirteen years after the interview, Lopez was prescient about the immediate future and beyond.

[Matt Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those already familiar with some of Barry Lopez's work (Arctic Dreams, Horizon, River Notes, Desert Notes), this small book is a gem. Based on three intense days of conversation between the South African writer and professor Julia Martin and Lopez, Syntax of the River provides insights on how he viewed his craft of writing and connected it to a deeper awareness of the world around him. Lopez's comments on craft will ring true even for people (like me) who aren't writers.

[Jenni Link · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this brief distillation of an extended conversation Julie Martin recorded with Barry Lopez, they cover many topics: environmental and political decay, writing (method, motivation, and writing as praxis), and the patterns he observed in the river next to which he made his home for 50+ years. It certainly made me ponder the syntax of my own surroundings, and what I am learning or failing to learn from it.

[Dan Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the transcription of three days' conversation between Lopez and Julia Martin, a friend of long standing, at Lopez's home in the remote PNW woods. These are the sorts of conversations that, in another setting, might come across as pompous or pedantic. But here, it's just an older friend trying to convey some of the ideas and perceptions he has accumulated over a lifetime of work. I have highlighted many passages.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. While it isn’t the best read ever it was a conversation between two friends who love the world and love writing and like trying to figure things out. It was useful to me in thinking about things I care about. It is useful to me in thinking about how to live going forward.

[Francisco Valdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Lopez is a writer I admire very much.
The transcription of these conversations is like looking at the writer himself.
Enthralling.

[Chauna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book (too little, I think) with some gems, ideas to really think about.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

so delightful!!! I read this aloud with Craig and we couldn’t get enough of it!