Entangled Life

The book looks at fungi from a number of angles, including decomposition, fermentation, nutrient distribution, psilocybin production, the evolutionary role fungi plays in plants, and the ways in which humans relate to the fungal kingdom.[1][5][6][7] It uses music and philosophy to illustrate its thesis,[8] and introduces readers to a number of central strands of research on mycology.[9] It is also a personal account of Sheldrake's experiences with fungi.[6]

Sheldrake is an expert in mycorrhizal fungi,[10] holds a PhD in tropical ecology from the University of Cambridge for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,[11] and his research is primarily in the fields of fungal biology and the history of Amazonian ethnobotany.[12] He is the son of Rupert Sheldrake, a biologist, and Jill Purce, an author and therapist, and the brother of musician Cosmo Sheldrake.[5][11][13]

The book was published to largely positive reviews.

Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times called the book an "ebullient and ambitious exploration" of fungi, adding, "reading it left me not just moved but altered, eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do."[1] Eugenia Bone of The Wall Street Journal called it "a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles, ripe with insight and erudition."[5]

Rachel Cooke of The Observer called it "an astonishing book that could alter our perceptions of fungi forever."[11] Richard Kerridge, reviewing the book in The Guardian, wrote that "when we look closely [at fungi], we meet large, unsettling questions... [Sheldrake] carries us easily into these questions with ebullience and precision."[8]

The book was named to Time magazine's list of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020,[14] The Telegraph list of the 50 Best Books of 2020,[15] and was chosen as one of the best nature books of 2020 by The Times.[16] It was serialized on BBC Radio 4 as the book of the week,[17] and is a Sunday Times best-seller.[18]

After completing Entangled Life, Sheldrake dampened a copy of the book, seeded it with spores, and ate the oyster mushrooms that grew from its pages. With another copy, he mashed up some of the pages to release their sugars, and fermented it into beer.[1]

Entangled Life was an inspiration for the Spring 2021 couture collection by Iris van Herpen.[19]