“Europe enjoyed a heritage of fairy tales alive with talking animals--some almost real, other deliciously bogus-- to spark child's fantasies and gallop grownups to the cherished haunts of childhood. It pleased Antonina that her zoo offered on orient of fabled creatures, where book pages sprang alive and people could parley with ferocious animals.”

American poet, essayist, and naturalist

Diane Ackerman is an American poet, essayist, and naturalist known for her books and films. Her writing often moves between the literary and the scientific, reflecting a wide-ranging interest in the natural world. She has also worked in film, and her work is associated with careful observation, vivid language, and an interest in how people experience nature and the senses.