Abbey, Edward Paul

Abbey, Edward Paul,

1927–1989, American writer and environmentalist, b. Indiana, Pa., grad. Univ. of New Mexico (B.A. 1951, M.A. 1956). An ardent, sometimes abrasive advocate for the wilderness of the American Southwest, Abbey was also a student of anarchism and an advocate of restricting immigration. His writings express the need to protect the environment against the incursions of civilization. His second novel, The Brave Cowboy (1956), about an antigovernment outsider and itinerant, was filmed as Lonely Are the Brave (1962). His work for the National Park Service in SE Utah led to the evocative wilderness memoir Desert Solitaire (1968). His novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) is about environmental activists who resort to guerrilla tactics; Hayduke Lives! (1990) is its sequel. Abbey's essay collections include The Journey Home (1977), Abbey's Road (1979), and One Life at a Time, Please (1987).