The author John Vaillant discusses his new book, The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (Knopf, 2010), with Joseph Planta.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant. (Knopf, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Tiger

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

John Vaillant is the author of the much anticipated, and already much lauded The Tiger. It’s a suspenseful book about an almost unbelievable, true story. It’s 1997, and in Russia’s Far East, a man-eating Siberian (Amur) tiger is on the prowl, and it’s not just killing people, but viciously so. The attacks, it seems aren’t random, and a team must stop it from attacking again. At the same time, Vaillant tells this thriller of a story, he also illustrates the conservation efforts in place which after Perestroika suffer, because of poaching and the commoditisation of tiger parts in Asia and elsewhere. The book’s film rights have been sold to Plan B Entertainment, which is Brad Pitt’s company, and Darren Aronofsky is slated to direct, with a screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote the screenplay of Babel. John Vaillant’s previous book, his first, The Golden Spruce, was a critical hit and prizewinner. He’s written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Men’s Journal. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival is published by Knopf. He lives in Vancouver, where he joined me from last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, John Vaillant; Good morning, Mr. Vaillant.

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