Into the Woods

Winner, 2011 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
Winner, 2011 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

For many years, the Tasmanian wilderness has been the site of a fierce struggle. At stake is the future of old-growth forests. Loggers and police face off with protesters deep in the forest, while savage political games are played in the courts and parliaments.

In Into the Woods, Anna Krien, armed with a notebook, a sleeping bag and a rusty sedan, ventures behind the battlelines to see what it is like to risk everything for a cause. She speaks to ferals and premiers, sawmillers and whistle-blowers. She investigates personalities and convictions, methods and motives. This is a book about a company that wanted its way and the resistance that eventually forced it to change.

Updated with a new afterword, Into the Woods is intimate, intrepid reporting by a fearless new voice.

Shortlisted, 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
Shortlisted, 2011 WA Premier’s Literary Awards
Shortlisted, ABIA Newcomer of the Year Award
Shortlisted, 2011 Blake Dawson Business Literature Prize

‘Anna Krien’s intimate, urgent book pulsates with life and truth.’ —Chloe Hooper

‘Anna Krien is Australia’s young, female Hunter S. Thompson.’ —Amanda Lohrey

‘Closely observed and beautifully written.’ —Monthly

‘A beautifully wrought, deeply thoughtful on-the-ground look at the struggle over Tasmania’s forests’ —Bookseller + Publisher

‘A highly readable book … that comprehensively explains the causes, history and the “truths” of logging in Tasmania.’ —Big Issue

‘Her courageous and exhaustive research has exposed the movers and shakers though up-close, fearless reporting.’ —PSnews

‘Krien has produced a riveting piece of reportage.’ —Herald Sun

‘Now in its second edition with updated afterword and a swag of prizes, Krien’s masterly journey through Tasmania's forest wars remains a compelling read.’ —Australian Education Union News

‘A must read for anyone who cares about the environment.’ —Illawarra Mercury

‘A remarkable account’ —Age

‘[A] penetrating, insightful account of the history and current state of the decades-long battle over Tasmania’s endangered forests.’ —Advertiser

‘It is only through a sustained narrative such as this that we can understand our recent history.’ —Bendigo Weekly

‘Anna Krien has proven herself a willing student, a brave and balanced reporter/researcher, a gifted writer, and an exciting new voice in the tradition of female literary journalists.’ —Literary Journalism Studies

‘Written in lean and handsome prose, I reckon Into the Woods might just qualify for that most hackneyed of critical adjectives in the book trade: “important”.’ —Crikey

Anna Krien is the author of Night Games, Into the Woods and Quarterly Essay 45 Us and Them. Her work has been published in the Monthly, the Age, the Big Issue, The Best Australian Essays, The Best Australian Stories, Griffith Review, Voiceworks, Going Down Swinging, Colors, frankie and Dazed & Confused.