The Butterfly Season

byLea Korsgaard, Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg (Translator)

On Beginnings, Endings, and the Life in Between

In the darkness of winter on the first day of the year, a woman in Denmark is making a list. She plans to set out and see all of the country's butterfly species in a single summer. She knows nothing about butterflies. She doesn’t even know why she wants to see them. She just knows that something is calling her. The pull is irresistible.

The Butterfly Season tells the story of what happened next. We follow Lea Korsgaard as her list takes her to landscapes she never knew existed, shaped by the wind and by the sea. She discovers secret places and meets strangers who help along the way. And she is led into the past: into the lives of her ancestors and the worlds of philosophy and myth. Because ever since ancient times, the butterfly has symbolized humanity’s hope of rebirth—and confronted us with the biggest questions of existence: why do we live? And what are we living for?

An important and wonderful book about the hunt for Denmark’s 64 different butterflies … Read these 314 pages and your view of the world will never be the same

Jyllands-Posten

About Lea Korsgaard

Lea Korsgaard is an award-winning journalist and author. She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the digital news platform Zetland, and Chair of the Board of the Danish School of Media and Journalism. The Butterfly Season was first published in Denmark in 2025, where it became a no.1 bestseller.
Details
  • Imprint: Particular Books
  • ISBN: 9780241810521
  • Length: 320 pages
  • Price: £24.00
All editions