Dark Star Safari

In Dark Star Safari the wittily observant and endearingly irascible Paul Theroux takes readers the length of Africa by rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry, and train In the course of his epic and enlightening journey, he endures danger, delay, and dismaying circumstances.Gauging the state of affairs, he talks to Africans, aid workers, missionaries, and tourists What results is an insightful mediation on the history, politics, and beauty of Africa and its people.In a new postscript, Theroux recounts the dramatic events of a return to Africa to visit Zimbabwe. Free Read Dark Star Safari [ By ] Paul Theroux [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Planes, trains and automobiles and a ferry rickety, smelly mini buses a dugout canoe, taxis and a cattle truck.I give mad props to Theroux for humping it from Cairo to Cape Town at the age of 59, but this type of transport he only used a plane once to fly into Khartoum would scare away thediscerning traveler me This makes me evengrateful for Theroux s firsthand account of Africa.Foreshadowing book spoiler He quotes and draws comparisons from Joseph Conrad s Heart of Darknes Planes, trains and automobiles and a ferry rickety, smelly mini buses a dugout canoe, taxis and a cattle truck.I give mad props to Theroux for humping it from Cairo to Cape Town at the age of 59, but this type of transport he only used a plane once to fly into Khartoum would scare away thediscerning traveler me This makes me evengrateful for Theroux s firsthand account of Africa.Foreshadowing book spoiler He quotes and draws comparisons from Joseph Conrad s Heart of Darkness A lot I like to read the occasional travelogue A good travel writer gives you a window into their adventures, combining wit, history and insight into the present day doings of the area countr...Grrrrr Oh how this man irritates yet enthrals me I have just tramped down through Africa in the footsteps of Theroux, sighing and tsking, yet unable to put the book down This man is a genius writer, yet so darn cantankerous, curmudgeonly and scathing that he made me want to throw the book on the floor and mash it Even when he relishes a place, it often seems that it is the dirt, the stink and the squalor that inspires him It s a kind of machismo Proof that he isn t a tourist, but a bona fid Grrrrr Oh how this man irritates yet enthrals me I have just tramped down through Africa in the footsteps of Theroux, sighing and tsking, yet unable to put the book down This man is a genius writer, yet so darn cantankerous, curmudgeonly and scathing that he made me want to throw the book on the floor and mash it Even when he relishes a place, it often seems that it is the dirt, the stink and the squalor that ins...WHY do I keep reading books by this man For some unknown reason I assume that I ll garner some great knowledge form his books or beamused than frustrated Thus far not Instead I m annoyed by his arrogance and his assumption that he s different from other white people in Africa because he knows that the aide system is faulty or because he lived there in the 60 s Just because you have a backpack and a history with Africa doesn t make you an expert, and Theroux whining about the fact th WHY do I keep reading books by this man For...This was my first Theroux and, on finishing it, I couldn t fully judge of the tone of a book that was written near what will likely be the end of his career, after a certain cynicism has taken root Since then, I ve read The Great Railway Bazaar his first travel book and now a good chunk of Ghost Train.First, it has to be said that this book is very NOT P.C to say the least Theroux has what often appears to be an open and unapologetic contempt for many of the black Africans he meets and d This was my first Theroux and, on finishing it, I couldn t fully judge of the tone of a book that was written near what wil...This book was a great read for a student of international development relations I understand the author s cynicism, admire his risktaking, and appreciate his insight into the impact of decades of foreign intervention in Africa I didn t feel he was overly arrogant for a journey of...Theroux is a pompous ass A just compelling enough pompous ass.For me this is the best Paul Theroux that I have read.It was better in my opinion that his other travel non fiction The Great Railway Bazaar By Train Through Asia, The Old Patagonian Express, Riding the Iron Rooster By Train Through China , and I think there are a couple of reasons.Firstly, in Dark Star Safari the travel was not all by train This meant there wasto write about In his other books which I also enjoyed don t get me wrong , there is only so much he can describe about For me this is the best Paul Theroux that I have read.It was better in my opinion that his other travel non fiction The Great Railway Bazaar By Train Through Asia, The Old Patagonian Express, Riding the Iron Rooster By Train Through China , and I think there are a couple of reasons.Firstly, in Dark Star Safari the travel was not all by train This meant there wasto write about In his other books which I also enjoyed don t get me wrong , there is only so much he can describe about the train itself, and the method of travel This book opened the door fordescriptive writing about travel method.Secondly, and probablyimportantly, while Theroux was his usual pessimistic, fault finding, negative self, he was being faraccurate with his assessment of Africa What I mean is, in other books where he tears into the people, the places the culture...A trek through the heart of Modern Africa16 May 2015 Well, I have already written three blogposts worth of thoughts on this really interesting book, however I will simply touch on a fewimportant points for those of you who don t have the time or the inclination to read through what I have written elsewhere and the links to those posts are below Anyway, this is the diary of a journey that t...Safari, in Swahili means journey, and is Theroux s reason for returning to Africa to escape a life usurped by schedules, appointments, e mails and cell phones After 40 years, Paul Theroux returns to Africa where he began writing At 60, no one has so conquered the genre like Theroux But this return to Africa isrumination than entertainment, and it is depressing His first years in Africa as Peace Corps volunteer and University teacher saw a continent full of hope and promise Today, Safari, in Swahili means journey, and is Theroux s reason for returning to Africa to escape a life usurped by schedules, appointments, e mails and cell phones After 40 years, Paul Theroux returns to Africa where he began writing At 60, no one has so conquered the genre like Theroux But this return to Africa isrumination than entertainment, and it is depressing His first years in Africa as Peace Corps volunteer and University teacher saw a continent full of hope and promise Today, the dark star has regressed back into the Heart of Darkness From Cairo to Cape Town, Theroux discovers Africa as another planet He now sees Africa as a continent that might have been He roils over things that do not now exist roads, schools, government, security All the aid and effort of all the colonials and do gooders have failed in fact, th...A reasonably well written and interesting book about Africa There are very interesting bits about places rarely visited by Westerners such as Sudan that are surprising and vividly narrated by the author Quite heartbreaking is the terrible condition in which many countries in Africa still find themselves in, and the author s cynicism is very understandable, considering the history and the realities which Africa must face His insight into the impact of decades of foreign intervention in Afric A reasonably well written and interesting book about Africa There are very interesting bits about places rarely visited by Westerners such as Sudan that are surprising and vividly narrated by the author Quite heartbreaking is the terrible condition in which many countries in Africa still find themselves in, and the a...

• English
• 06 March 2017
Paul Theroux
• Paperback
• 485 pages
• 0618446877
• Paul Theroux
• Dark Star Safari