James Thornton
Author Interview - DON’T FORGET TO DUPLICATE
Author of Nature, My Teacher
A collection of short essays on how to live in our world under threat.
Author Interview - James Thornton
Author I draw inspiration from:
Eihei Dogen, a great Japanese Zen master of the 13th century.
Author Interview - James Thornton | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In my living room chair, where I can see the bird feeders.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
The Green Wizard from Lord of the Rings, an under appreciated character, especially by Tolkein. I'd ask him how to understand the world of all animals and plants. He'd give a cagey response, make sure I was interested, then start to teach the way into the world of the Other.....
Author Interview - James Thornton | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Before I could write. When I was young indeed, before I learned to read or write, I thought it was important to record key things people said. So I tried to invent a system of writing. I was disappointed when my marks made no sense later on. So I begged to learn to read and write. From that moment I was hooked.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love them all. Physical books, both hardback and paper, are a lifelong love. ebook is how I do more and more reading, especially when traveling, but there is always a little missing of physical books. I was therefore delighted to discover the great library system when we moved to Santa Monica. I've got piles of books near my reading chair now.
The last book I read:
You Dreamed of Empires, by Alvaro Enrique. I love historical fiction, and particularly well thought through and written alternative histories. This one is a beaut: Cortez and Montezuma are the main characters. Takes you deeply into Aztec culture, and into the conquistador mind set. Compelling, with ironic takes on the history you know, and a very different outcome. A brilliant book.
Author Interview - James Thornton | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
The essays in Nature, My Teacher accreted. They trace my deep preoccupations over the last several years. I've spent the last 18 years setting up ClientEarth, the first global, non-profit law firm for the environment. I recently transitioned from being CEO to being Founder & President, and took a 6 month sabbatical. This time let me dwell daily on my environmental work and practice, and my meditation practice, and my being with Nature. The 6 month process took me very deep, with daily writing. I needed to cover the experience of consciousness from a number of dimensions. So short essays became the way to do it. Then the question was how to find coherent patterns in such diverse material. What emerged, on a worm eaten table in a rented house by the beach in Baja Sur, Mexico, was a division into 12 books, The Book of Nature, the Book of Self and Other, The Book of Anxiety, and so on. This lets a short book cover a broad range, with pages that swiftly take you deep.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Otto Schalmik, from Martin Goodman's novel The Cellist of Dachau. Otto is a sensitive guy, who becomes a great musician. He's also a very tough guy, who survives the camps. He is wry, compassionate, and doesn't bullshit. I think he'd make a great friend. And he'd play me Bach on the cello.
Author Interview - James Thornton | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
An eco lawyer--well I already am one. So a Zen Buddhist priest--well I already am one. So a violinist--well not a good choice, since I play it, but not well enough to earn my keep.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Rome, I love the togas, though they were apparently a beast to wear.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Colombia, it has the highest bird biodiversity on Earth, with 1800 species. It would be great to spend hours in the forest watching and listening, listening and learning.
My signature drink:
Sake. Right now, as I'm in warm weather in California I'm drinking it chilled. I spend the other half of the year in England, so often need it warmed up. Otherwise it's green tea: sencha in the morning, matcha after lunch.
Favorite artist:
For me it always circles back to Bach, wherever excursions take me. His music is as close as my heartbeat and I often play it at night in my mind when I'm awake.
Number one on my bucket list:
Visiting Pompeii, something I've wanted to do since I was a kid.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Nature, My Teacher invites the reader into safe spaces from which to let themselves feel their own deep feelings about what it's like to be alive in our world under threat. It's sometimes funny, sometimes touching, sometimes sad, but everyone tells me it is uplifting, touches them deeply and makes them feel better about themselves.
Find more from the author:
@jamesthorntonce
About James Thornton:
Author Interview - James Thornton
James Thornton is one the world's leading spokespeople for the environment. He was named one of 10 people who could change the world by New Statesman, and given a lifetime achievement award by the FT. He is an essayist and poet, a Zen Buddhist priest, and Founder & President of ClientEarth, the leading global non-profit law firm for the environment. Recent poetry collections are The Feynman Challenge and Waymarks. A lifetime of environmental activism includes remarkable success in China.
