'A classic in the making for our times ' MONIQUE ROFFEY 'Haunting beautiful... Anima will
live with me for a long time' CAL FLYN 'A beautiful book of passion and adventure... She is
simply sublime' HORATIO CLARE The spellbinding new book by the prizewinning writer Kapka
Kassabova tells the story of her time with the last moving pastoralists in Europe: a gripping
portrayal of human-animal interdependence and a plea for a different way of living. Living
with one of these communities over the course of one summer Kassabova experiences the
intensity brutality beauty and isolation of their existence. She witnesses the epic
orchestrated activity of transhumance - the seasonal movement of vast herds of sheep along
with shepherds and dogs. As she becomes attuned to the sacrifices inherent in this work and the
rich histories that shaped this Balkan region Kassabova finds herself drawn deeper into the
tangled relationships at the heart of the small community. Anima is an extraordinary
portrayal of pastoral life where humans and animals exist in profound interdependence.
Kassabova conjures the spirit of this remarkable place with intimacy and empathy and helps us
imagine how we might all begin to heal our broken relationship with the natural world.
