Of perfumes & gods: Tales of Olibanum

An exploration of a legendary perfume, olibanum, at the edge where nature & culture meet. If you enjoy history, myth, and science; if incense and scent pique your curiosity; if you like visiting exotic places with your imagination, delving into the heart of scented matter, or learning about the stories behind frankincense... this journey might interest you.

{This is an illustrated -and rather meaty- preview; full ebook available on Amazon.com :)}

{EN} Aina S. Erice is a writer & biologist turned independent researcher with an (occasionally inconvenient) overabundance of curiosity, and a penchant for transmitting ideas.Her current focus of interest is the overlap between nature and human culture, which tries to answer the question: “What can our relationships with nature reveal about ourselves — as individuals, as a society, as a species?”

She’s the author of La Invención del Reino Vegetal (Ariel, 2015), which focuses on the relationship between plants and culture. She’s now working on another book that tackles the same topic from a different angle.

Born and bred on a small Mediterranean island, she currently lives with her husband dividing their time between Spain and Italy. She is a staunch defender of the need to join rigorous research along with poetic, beautiful language to tickle the reader’s imagination; and of the power of good storytelling to change the world for the better.

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{ES} Aina S. Erice es una escritora que estudió biología, y decidió dedicarse a la investigación por libre para dar rienda suelta a su (exceso de) curiosidad. En estos momentos sus pesquisas se centran en la intersección entre naturaleza y cultura, intentando responder a la pregunta: "¿Qué pueden decirnos sobre nosotros mismos -como individuos, como sociedades, como especie- nuestras relaciones con la naturaleza?"

Ha publicado un libro (La Invención del Reino Vegetal, Ariel 2015) bajo el ala de Jose Antonio Marina, centrado sobre la relación plantas-cultura. Escribe en dos idiomas, vive con su marido entre dos islas (alternativamente, se entiende; sería complicado hacerlo a la vez...), y es una firme defensora de la necesidad de aunar ciencias y letras para entender mejor nuestra realidad.

Ah! Y está convencida de que las historias pueden cambiar el mundo.