Optimist's Paul Glynn wins BBC Wildlife "Nature Writer of The Year 2008" Award
Last updated 7/20/2008 11:20:03 PM
“Catching my first fish is an episode that has stayed with me for many reasons. Not only is it an idyllic and poignant childhood memory, it was also a loss of innocence.” Illustration by Paul Glynn
Barely six months since its launch at the end January, the Optimist World has produced award-winning writing talent, with travel journalist Paul Glynn picking up the "Nature Writer of The Year 2008" award for BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Paul's article "Perch" was described by a panel of judges as a clear winner, a "poignant, delicately told encounter with a large perch – and the sense of loss and regret that followed".
The inspiration behind the story was Paul’s own childhood experience.
“Catching my first fish is an episode that has stayed with me for many reasons. Not only is it an idyllic and poignant childhood memory, it was also a loss of innocence.”
“The lesson taken – that nature is above and beyond our values, that it should be admired for its wildness rather than captured and controlled – is universal, and I have never forgotten it.”