Volume 48, Number 10 · June 21, 2001
In the Pit of History
By Neal Ascherson
The Shadow of the Sun
Ryszard Kapuscinski, translated from the Polish by Klara Glowczewska
Knopf, 325 pp., $25.00
Looking for Lovedu: Days and Nights in Africa
Ann Jones
Knopf, 268 pp., $25.00
Landlocked countries used to grow a special crop of daydreams. ('Used to,' because the Boeing and the Airbus long ago replaced the steamship; nobody needs a seaport to fulfill escapist fantasies, and 'landlocked' scarcely survives as a category.) Nations that lacked a seacoast or a colonial empire, or were locked up by dictators within their own frontiers, had a special hunger for travelers' tales about dark continents, palm-bordered islands, fierce jungle peoples, and wild animals greedy for human prey.
Review, 3778 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |