This extraordinary book tells the story of Geoffroy Delorme, an accomplished photographer, lecturer and nature lover, who, recalling a chance meeting with a young roe deer in his youth, decides to change his life. He casts his metropolitan world behind and relocates to the sumptuous national forest of Louviers, Normandy, France, to live with the deer and immerse himself in the wilderness for seven years.
Alone in the forest with no tent, no shelter and not even a sleeping bag or blanket is an exercise in pure survival, and so Geoffroy follows the deer's behaviour closely. He adapts to their way of life, learns to eat and sleep among them, and acquires a unique understanding of these extraordinary creatures. Over time he befriends the deer and becomes part of a wild animal family with which he shares moments of joy, sorrow and even fear.
Deer Man is a fascinating and spellbinding account of the ancient quest to reconnect with the natural world.
Geoffrey Delorme is a naturalist and photographer. Deer Man, a bestseller in France, has been translated into eleven languages. He lives in Normandy.
"A story of extraordinary power and tenderness, showing that intimate relationship with the wild world and the wild self is both possible and vital. Delorme is the best possible guide through the tangle of the woods and the tangle of the psyche. Deer Man will change you. It has the distinctive scent of an enduring classic."
– Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast and Being a Human
"An extraordinary, unique story about how one man connected to the natural world in the 21st century"
– Northern Life
"Haunting, remarkable and ultimately very moving"
– Sunday Times
"A startling portrait of an animal that is both familiar to us and yet shockingly misunderstood [...] it is a delightful, moving read – and a quietly revolutionary one."
– Melanie Challenger, Guardian
"Some deeply eccentric books have crossed my path in my time, but this one probably takes the biscuit [...] This is a lyrical, rather lovely book by a talented writer."
– Markus Berkmann, Daily Mail