The title essay (1977) explores the ancient relationship between animals and humankind: an “unspeaking companionship”. But today the caged creatures in zoos have become “the living monument to their own disappearance” from culture. In all these pieces, what concerns Berger is the loss of a meaningful connection to nature, a connection that can now only be rediscovered through the experience of beauty: “the aesthetic moment offers hope.”

Source: The Guardian