PRESS-RELEASE FROM NORSTEDTS PUBLISHING HOUSE (IN CO-OPERATION WITH WWF)

"Örnarnas rike" (The Kingdom of the Eagles) — Panda Book of the Year

The distinction of Swedish Panda Book of the Year 2008 goes to the magnificent The Kingdom of the Eagles by nature photographer Brutus Östling, with text by Staffan Söderblom. The prize was presented by His Majesty the King of Sweden on September 24, which was also the first day for reviewing the book. This distinction has earlier been conferred on Brutus Östling for his Life on the Wing.

This time, Brutus Östling has chosen to visit the Kingdom of the Eagles. Above all, we meet the White-tailed Eagle and the Golden Eagle, but also some other birds – the seagulls, the eiders, the grouse – which also live in the biotopes of these powerful birds of prey, where the eagles are the natural majesties.

The unparalleled flow of exceptional images with the unmistakable, quite unique personal touch of Brutus Östling is interspersed with reflections on the eagle in nature and in our consciousness through the ages. How near, how near we come.

Staffan Söderblom, prose author and well-known nature lyricist (also professor of Literary Composition at the university of Gothenburg/Sweden) has written the texts, which sometimes comment on the pictures, sometimes widen the perspective and deepen the interpretation.

Since 1972, the Swedish World Wildlife Fund WWF selects the year’s best description of nature in words and pictures as Panda Book of the Year. This is the statement of the jury for the Panda Book of the Year 2008:

“In the majestic book The Kingdom of the Eagles two components – photos and texts – are united in a way you feel is unique, even if you may have seen the motifs before. Accompanied by texts that show the abundance of shades and possibilities of expression of our beautiful Swedish language, we have the privilege of seeing an exposition of pictures in a dimension hitherto unknown: eagles as emblems, eagles with a soul and strong expressions, and eagles as protagonists in thrilling and dramatic photo sequences.”

In a short time, Brutus Östling has established himself as a nature photographer in absolute world class. He was appointed Nature Photographer of the Year in Sweden 2006. Life on the Wing was chosen by the Swedish World Wildlife Fund as Panda Book of the Year 2006, and Penguins. The Secret Lives of the World’s Most Intriguing Birds was nominated for the August Prize 2006 (a Swedish literary prize, named after classical Swedish author August Strindberg). Both books have been published in the UK and in the US.