A loving and detailed account of a difficult journey

books:


	• The Tree Where Man Was Born (Classic, Nature, Penguin) Peter Matthiessen Penguin (Non-Classics), 1995 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Good combination of natural atmosphere and history

I wasn't certain what to expect when I got this book. I was a bit concerned that since it was written about experiences in the 1960's that it would feel a bit dated. Although the 1960's view of the future of East Africa's peoples and wildlife is not entirely accurate, I am finding the book to be an excellent way to prepare for a trip to Tanzania--for someone wanting a combination of background on the peoples, landscape and wildlife. Matthiessen's usual subdued, to me, dry style seems leavened a bit by his awe. And the account of the elephant researcher who's 'close encounter' approach puts Matthiessen off his feed, was really enjoyable to me--a departure from his usual, very dry approach. I recommend this one to anyone interested in the peoples and wildlife of Eastern Africa.

for more information click here

A loving and detailed account of a difficult journey

Is there anyplace wild enough to lift the weight that Occidental culture has placed on our shoulders? Africa, where the first man walked erect, may be the last place where man can feel awed enough by Nature to try and remember that he, also, is just another among the millions of other species that populate the planet. Paul Bowles, Bruce Chatwin, Doris Lessing, Isaak Dinesen and Peter Mattieshen found that answer, and shared the experience. In Mattieshen's poetic account, the tragic and fabulous beauty of a continent that has been devastated by greed and war is revealed, as the impossibility of traveling Africa and not falling in love with it and being changed by it forever.

for more information click here

Transcendent Prose

This is one my very favorite of Matthiessen's impressive canon, ranking easily with Far Tortuga and The Snow Leopard. Indeed, I think some of the passages in The Tree Where Man Was Born might surpass the stunning Himalaya descriptions in the latter book. Matthiessen's eye for landscapes is unparalleled, and his lyric evocations of beast and horizon have an otherworldly quality. A prime example, and one to look out for, is his account of finding rhinoceros tracks on the high volcanic slopes of Mt. Lengai. Another highlight are his crystalline observations of ecological moments during a vigil atop an East African kopje.

for more information click here

On the great East African plain it is the human who feels himself the intruder. Here, and perhaps only here, the world is that of the animals. It is they who belong, as humans do not. In the more sensitive traveler this evokes a feeling of being privileged to observe ancient forms, settings and behavior that have survived intact from pre-history.

"Matthiessen has the language to express this feeling of awe...Matthiessen also goes into the relationships between humans past and present in East Africa's great fauna with many a flash of insight into the instincts each has bred in the other...This is the Africa book par excellence." (Saturday Review)

for more information click here

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Enlightening Non-Fiction
Expand your Life

classic

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A ...
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the ...
Fahrenheit 451
Things Fall Apart: A Novel

penguin

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter)
The Prophet
The Neverending Story
Boy's Life
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One ...

nature

The Nature of Animal Healing : The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide ...
Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West
Nature in a Nutshell for Kids: Over 100 Activities You Can Do in Ten ...
Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our ...
Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the ...

search for books
tree where, born, classic, nature, penguin, tree, was, where

Impressum / about us