African Lives: White Lies, Tropical Truth, Darkest Gossip, and Rumblings of Rumor--From Chinese Gordon to Beryl Markham, and Beyond

By Denis Boyles

Book Overview

"A fast-paced look at white personalities in Africa, a few well-knowns from the past and a few collected by the author in recent years . . . Denis Boyles knows the territory well."-- The New York Times Book Review In a series of ebullient and evocative portraits, journalist Denis Boyles chronicles the white men and women who journeyed to Africa in the twentieth century, seeking things they couldn't find at home. Daredevil flyers and dedicated missionaries, intrepid explorers, and charming con men--they all turn up in African Lives . You'll meet General Charles George "Chinese" Gordon, who, as governor of Equatoria in the 1870s, mapped the region, drove out slave traders, and made the area safe for travelers. There is gossip about Beryl Markham and Isak Dinesen, who were legendary rivals in literature and in love. There are also sketches of such colorful figures as Patrick Shaw, the 300-pound "Clint Eastwood" of Kenya, and George Pappas, a self-made millionaire pilot. Vivid, provocative, and insightful, African Lives is a testimony to the continent's hold on the popular imagination. "Entertaining . . . jazzy . . . Boyles' prose has a certain cheeky charm, and he spins some good yarns."-- The Washington Post

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345356667
• ISBN13: 9780345356666
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

What a suprising little book!

I went into this book with the intention of ripping it to pieces. I came away disagreeing with the message and impressed at how well Mr. Boyles writes. Any professional writer should read this book, if for no other reason than to explore some of the better subtleties of the trade. This book is well written, clear, it moves admirably well considering the subject matter which I previously would have thought to be prose-proof. It shows how enjoyable even subjects that one would previously have had no interest in can come alive for a reader with the right author. Buy this book.