Biotopia

A middle-aged ecologist battling depression discovers with each compulsive foray a renewed passion for the beauty of life. As he searches for the ideal place in which to say “Goodbye” he finds, rather, more and more reason to say “Hello!” Self-eulogies become instead paens to the joy of living. What began as a despairing plunge from a cliff in Bhutan, a deliberate shipwreck in the South Pacific, to various pursuits across most of the world, are scientifically and aesthetically dissected as the Author’s odyssey backfires wonderfully into an exalted epic diary.

With each near destruction, our character resurrects himself in eclectic essays where out of melancholy emerges addicting queries critical to this and every age; and a morbid obsession with the romance of death is transformed into a deep commitment on behalf of all those still alive.

Relentless metamorphoses re-envision the central character’s Being – his mission, his tactics, his hopes - as he becomes mesmerized by, and rallies to convey something of the sheer poetic splendor of the Creation.... Until Tobias' great art-form provides a remarkable Manifesto; potent reasons for carrying on, in spite of the obvious existential adversities resulting from our own human presence.

Bold and ultimately cathartic, this dazzling roman à clé heralds a psychoanalytic view of the human condition that brings a terrifying energy to bear on what it might mean to be mortal in the heart of paradise. Michael Charles Tobias’ 45th book is an unforgettable philosophical and artistic voyage extraordinaire.

With An Introductory Essay by Poet/Translator Dr. Thanasis Maskaleris, and Afterword by Author Michael Pastore. "BIOTOPIA is much more than a book: it is a treasure trove of intellectual, historical, spiritual, ecological and humanistic illuminations -- to mine for inspiration and needed environmental action, in spite of its dark revelations about our planet and ourselves." -- Thanasis Maskaleris, Founding Director, Center for Modern Greek Studies/Kazantzakis Chair, San Francisco State University Greek poet & translator-- author of: The Terrestrial Gospel of Nikos Kazantzakis--Will the Humans Be Saviors of the Earth? (ZORBA PREES)