Karen Blixen's Ecological Timeliness

Karen Blixen loved both dogs and flowers, and she wrote about humans, the natural world, and ecological relationships in ways that were far ahead of her time. This project explores Blixen’s ‘green’ side and considers why she matters in an age of climate crisis, mass extinction, and other pressing environmental issues. In stories from ‘The Monkey’ (1934) to ‘Ehrengard’ (1963), Blixen writes ecologically about animals, plants, gender, time, and family. Her tales examine what it means to live in a complex world where humans are not at the center, and where everything hangs together. The project provides a new and eye-opening perspective on this well-known writer, and it demonstrates how Blixen’s challenging narratives can also help move us towards seeing ourselves with new eyes.