James Bradley is a brilliant writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. His recent book Deep Water (2024) is an elegiac essay in response to the wonders of the planet’s oceans. It celebrates undersea mysteries and the marvels of the surface, denounces the slavery and oppression connected with trade routes, and extols the sensuality of swimming and surfing.
Deep Water increased Bradley’s international reputation, but it was also an important milestone in a writing life dedicated to awakening readers to the harmony of the natural world and the need to act urgently to prevent human-induced climate catastrophe.
