Language: Swedish
Mama, the matriarch of her chimpanzee colony, is dying. She has been apathetic for weeks. But then she gets an unexpected visit from an old friend, a human scientist — and she lights up with happiness. Their final meeting is captured on film, which in turn captures millions around the world.
Frans de Waal starts with the story of Mama and her old friend. He shows us not only the enormously strong bond she and her friend shared, but also the amazingly deep and complicated emotional lives of animals. In this ground-breaking and entertaining book, de Waal presents the results of his revolutionary studies of chimpanzees, bonobos and other primates, together with personal encounters with other species that have left a great impression. De Waal's findings are as radical as they are instinctively true: Just as there is no single organ unique to humans, we do not have a single unique emotion. What we have long seen as deeply human – joy, sorrow, shame, love, pain and happiness – is found in other species, which operate in their own advanced social systems. This has consequences for how we see our own place in the food chain, how we should relate to pets and farm animals, and not least for our role in the ongoing mass extinction.
This is a book none of us can afford to miss.
“Superb… striking… remarkable… enlightening” – New Statesman
"A compelling book, and de Waal is a superb observer of primate behavior and enormously knowledgeable... a window into the lives of chimpanzees, and a mirror for our own" - The Times
Product information
Author: Frans de Waal
Translator: Joachim Retzlaff
ISBN: 9789189043343
Language: Swedish
Weight: 744 grams
Released: 2020
Publisher: Volante
Pages: 357