A lyrical work of creative nonfiction, Human/Nature is an exploration of why we think about the natural world the way we do. Through her own squeamish relationship with Australia's wild places, as well as philosophy, history and art, Jane Rawson looks for a path forward to a place where we see – and love – nature as it really is.

‘Everything we think about nature is deeply cultural. Much of what we imagine is based on outdated, irrelevant, or out-of-place beliefs. How are these ideas affecting the way we live in the world, and do we have any hope of changing them? If you've ever asked yourself whether humans are ruining nature, whether there's a better way for us to belong in this country, or whether it's possible to love both the environment and your cat, you're not alone,’ says Rawson.

‘Many of us wonder if the planet would be better off if we packed up our inner-city life and moved to rural Tasmania. Jane Rawson has already made that move. This exquisite, contemplative book is for anyone who has ever wondered where they fit in the natural world’ says NewSouth publisher Harriet McInerney.

Human/Nature will be published by NewSouth in early 2025.

About the author

Jane is the author of novels A History of Dreams, From the Wreck and A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists, a novella, Formaldehyde, and the non-fiction book The Handbook: surviving & living with climate change. You can read her essays in Living with the Anthropocene; Fire, Flood, Plague; and Reading like an Australian Writer. She is the Managing Editor at Island magazine.

Photo credit: Eddie Safarik