“Why was it, she asked herself, that "animals can sometimes subdue their predatory ways in only a few months, while humans, despite centuries of refinement, can quickly grow more savage than any beast?”

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.