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Why are we fascinated by mountains? These outcrops of rock were
once considered unsightly, something to be avoided at all costs,
but, since Rousseau, they have been contrasted with our corrupt
cities and viewed as serene enclaves of beauty and relaxation. But
why climb to the summit only to come back down again? Why does the
toil of climbing convert into joy? What metaphysics of the absolute
is playing out here – what challenge does climbing pose to time
and ageing, to fearful panic, to the brush with danger which leads
to conquest? It’s not faith that elevates mountains – it’s
mountains that elevate our faith in challenging us to overcome
them. These hooded majesties crush some people while exalting
others. For the latter, climbing means being born again, reaching a
state of exhilaration. Being seized by exhaustion upon arriving at
the summit is akin to casting your eyes upon paradise. Is it the
stinging cold, the wind so strong that it almost knocks you down,
or is it higher powers that speak to us in this mixture of terror
and beauty? A child of the mountains who spent his youth in Austria
and Switzerland, Pascal Bruckner has special ties to the subject of
this book: the further he climbs, the more he reconnects to his
past. In sparkling and sensual prose, Bruckner’s paean to the
majesty of mountains weaves together things seen and things read,
childhood memories, literature and philosophy, interlaced with
reflections on life, ageing and the unrivalled beauty of an
ecosystem that we are in danger of destroying.
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