American-Scandinavian Foundation invites you to a virtual book talk with photographer Melissa Schäfer & producer Fredrik Granath on their new book Polar Tales: The Future of Ice, Life, and the Arctic, out now from Rizzoli Press.
The Arctic is the ground zero of climate change, and the polar bear is on the front line. Filled with groundbreaking photography that reveals the breathtaking landscapes of the Arctic and the changing environment through the lives of polar bears, Polar Tales is a firsthand report from the top of our planet. It tells a story about an ice world in transformation, and a planet within reach of its tipping point—the irreversible moment when the climate on Earth begins collapsing.
Polar Tales is both a celebration of the wildlife that inhabits the most harsh and unforgiving yet beautiful environment imaginable—mountains, fjords, enormous glaciers, and the seemingly endless pack ice of the Arctic Ocean—and a cautionary tale of global warming; as rising temperatures have put areas such as the Arctic at risk, the habitats and lives of the animals there are increasingly threatened. Set against a dramatic landscape of ice floes and ragged mountains, the book’s photographs feature polar bears, foxes, seals, walruses, and reindeer that now struggle to live in this vulnerable climate. Images of a polar bear mother as she takes her newborns out for their first hunt, a seal pup only hours old, and the spectacle of the polar night are all reminders of what is at risk.
Schäfer and Granath will discuss the book, as well as their work on months spent in the field every winter on expeditions, where they live among the polar bears, establishing an uneasy balance and unprecedented access to the world of the kings of the Arctic.
The event will take place as a Zoom webinar, and will begin with a video presentation with Schäfer and Granath followed by a discussion and an audience Q&A. Please ask questions in the chat or send them in advance to info@amscan.org. Registration is required; please sign up at the link above.
Polar Tales: The Future of Ice, Life, and the Arctic is available now from Rizzoli and also for sale on Schäfer and Granath’s Motherbear website.
About the Authors
Partners in life, love, and work, Melissa and Fredrik specialize in the Arctic region and focus on polar bears and their role in a changing climate. They are based in Stockholm, Sweden, and Longyearbyen on Svalbard in the Arctic.
MELISSA SCHÄFER has viewed the world through her camera lens from her early childhood days in Hamburg, Germany. With a background in creative and portrait photography, she has always had a unique eye for her surroundings. Her deep love for the Arctic and polar bears, as well as a strong commitment to nature and the environment, is the foundation for all her work.
FREDRIK GRANATH is a leading expert on fieldwork and production in the polar regions. Since 2001, he has been working in the Arctic on his own projects, and has also been a producer and adviser for other film and photographic projects, including work for film studios and National Geographic. He specializes in polar bears and has assembled a unique expertise in working under the most extreme conditions.