Entangled Life
2020 non-fiction book by Merlin Sheldrake
- 2 min read
- 4 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Fungus, Decomposition and Fermentation
Author
Sheldrake is an expert in mycorrhizal fungi, holds a PhD in tropical ecology from the University of Cambridge for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and he is on the advisory board of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN). His research is primarily in the fields of fungal biology and the history of Amazonian ethnobotany. He is the son of Rupert Sheldrake, a New Age author, and Jill Purce, an author and therapist, and the brother of musician Cosmo Sheldrake.
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Summary
The book looks at fungi from a number of angles, including decomposition, fermentation, nutrient distribution, psilocybin production, the evolutionary role fungi play in plants, and the ways in which humans relate to the fungal kingdom. It uses music and philosophy to illustrate its thesis, and introduces readers to a number of central strands of research on mycology. It is also a personal account of Sheldrake's experiences with fungi.
Reception
Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times called the book an "ebullient and ambitious exploration" of fungi, adding, "reading it left me not just moved but altered, eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do." Eugenia Bone of The Wall Street Journal called it "a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles, ripe with insight and erudition." Rachel Cooke of The Observer called it "an astonishing book that could alter our perceptions of fungi forever." Richard Kerridge, reviewing the book in The Guardian, wrote that "when we look closely [at fungi], we meet large, unsettling questions... [Sheldrake] carries us easily into these questions with ebullience and precision."
Other media
Sheldrake presented the documentary Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Björk.
Popular culture
- Entangled Life was an inspiration for the Spring 2021 couture collection by Iris van Herpen.
- A scene in “Midnight Train to Royston”, the eleventh episode of the second season of the sports comedy-drama series Ted Lasso, shows Coach Beard reading Entangled Life, highlighting his love of mushrooms.