Edward Abbey
Author, Essayist, Environmental Activist

American Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Quick Info

Profession	Author, Essayist, Environmental Activist
Nationality	American
Date of Birth	29/01/1927
Age	62 years (died on 14, Mar, 1989)
Birthplace	Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of Death	14/03/1989

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Bio/Wiki

Summary	American author and essayist noted for advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. Best known for the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang and non-fiction work Desert Solitaire.
Known For	Environmental activism and desert writing Uncompromising environmentalist philosophy Inspiration for radical environmental groups

Educational Qualification(s)

B.A.	English and Philosophy, University of New Mexico (1951)
M.A.	Philosophy, University of New Mexico (1956)
Other	Fulbright Scholar, University of Edinburgh (1951-1952)

Personal Life

Political Views	Anarchist, influenced by father's anarchist and socialist beliefs
Master's Thesis	Anarchism and the Morality of Violence
Marriages	Married and divorced several times
Children	Five children

Family

Father	Paul Revere Abbey (anarchist, atheist, socialist)
Mother	Mildred Postlewait (schoolteacher and church organist)

Career

Early Career	Newspaper reporter, bartender in Taos, New Mexico, caseworker (1960), bus driver (1966-1967), technical writer (1962), teacher (1956, 1962, 1970)
Primary Work	Seasonal park ranger and fire lookout for National Park Service in the Southwest (1950s-1960s), worked across sixteen national parks and forests
Writing Career	Started writing in 1950s, gained fame in late 1960s and early 1970s
Publications	28 published volumes including novels, narrative non-fiction, essays, and letters

Style Quotient

Notable Quotes	The most common form of terrorism in the USA is that carried on by bulldozers and chainsaws. It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Left home at age 17 to hitchhike through the American desert
2. Faced conscription into U.S. military at age 18, chose to explore the American Southwest instead
3. Served brief military career from 1945 to 1947 in Naples
4. Found University of Edinburgh dark and oppressive but completed first published novel Jonathan Troy there
5. The Monkey Wrench Gang inspired formation of militant environmental group Earth First!
6. Term monkey-wrenching originated from his novel describing ecological sabotage
7. Home, Pennsylvania now has a state historical marker commemorating him
8. Deliberately withheld knowledge of best places he discovered, stating he never mentioned them in writing
9. Developed profound connection to the West after hitchhiking through the region in his youth
10. Worked across the southwestern United States, developing intimacy with the region's landscape that shaped his writing career

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