Customer Reviews

Aguirre: The Re-Creation of a Sixteenth Century Journey Across South America

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As a travelogue the book is both insightful and engaging. As a history excellent; as it retraces the tragic and doomed journey of Pedro de Ursua and Lope de Aguirre through across the South American continent (1560). This book chronicles one of the most bizarre mutinies to rock 16th Century South America. He narrates the grandiose ambition and blinding pride that gripped Spanish Peru in the 16th century; not forgetting to lauds as well the "clever, ruthless and courageous" men and women that invaded and then settled South America.

Stephen Minta, British, and a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of York, writes brilliantly about Peru in the late 1980's and early 1990's (Peru hasn't changed that much since). His writing is full if insights into human nature, and has the occasional biting satire, tongue-in-cheek humor and a candid and critical evaluation of an applaudable travelogue.

This book is in the company of the best modern South America travelogues/history (IE White Rock by Hugh Thomson and Chasing Che by Patrick Symmes - see my reviews). For afficionados and students of South America (especially Peru) this book is a must read. Highly recommended.

MINTA POSITIONS HIS BOOK AS HALF-TRAVELOGUE, HALF-HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGE OF DON LOPE DE AGUIRRE, THE BLOODTHIRSTY CONQUSTADOR BEST KNOWN THROUGH WERNER HERZOG'S ASTONISHING FILM. THE NARRATIVE WEAVES BACK AND FROTH FROM MINTA'S ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN TRAVELS THROUGH SOUTH AMERICA, SEEKING TO TRACE AGUIRRE'S DESPERATE JOURNEY UP THE AMAZON, AND A HISTORICAL RECREATION (MOSTLY FROM SECONDARY SOURCES) OF THAT JOURNEY ITSELF. THE COMBINATION BEGUILES. AGUIRRE, THE MAN, REMAINS MYSTERIOUS YET MYTHICALLY ENGAGING -- THE APOSTLE OF FREEDOM FOR THE NEW WORLD WHO DISAVOWED THE KING OF SPAIN AS HE SET HIS OWN FLAG IN UNCHARTED LANDS, YET A BLOODY KILLER, RUTHLESS BEYOND IMAGINATION. MINTA DOESN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT OF HIS BOOK EXCEPT TO ADMIT, AS ANY GOOD HISTORIAN SHOULD, THAT THE REAL AGUIRRE LIES BEYOND DOCUMENTATION, THE DUST OF HISTORY. AT THE SAME TIME, HE TACITLY REFUSES TO MYTHOLOGIZE HIM, AS DOES HERZOG IN HIS FILM. THEE'S A HIPPIE-TRAVELOGUE FLAVOR TO MINTA'S OWN ACCOUNT WHICH RECALLS, IN MY VIEW UNFAVORABLY, "MUSIC IN EVERY ROOM" AND SIMILAR WANDEVOGELEN ACCOUNTS. AND THERE'S ALSO SOME HESITATION IN GRAPPLING DIRECTLY WITH A HISTORY WHICH CANNOT, BY NOW, BE FILTERED FROM LEGEN. AS IT IS, THE BOOK GAINS BY OVERTONES: WE PLAY MINTA GAINST THEHERZOG FILM, WE PLAY HIS OWN TRAVELS, AGAINST AGUIRRE'S, AND THERE IS - FOR ADDED IRONY -- THE LONG, SAD HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA, A LAND WHERE SLAVES HAVE ALWAYS REMAINED SLAVES AND WHEERE BOLDNESS SUCH AS AGUIRRE'S WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE STUFF OF LEGEND -- AND ALWAYS CONTINUE TO BEGUILE US.

My first introduction to the story of Lope de Aguirre was with the Werner Herzog film "Aguirre - Wrath of God". This I found profound, yes, but also needlessly indulgent and slow. I knew there was more to the story. Then I read this book, and it made me wonder that even if this is "speculative history" (according to the jacket) based on fact (or chronicles - everyone has an agenda), then this is far more interesting than a few people drifting down a muddy river on a raft looking intense. Don't get me wrong - I love Herzog ("Nosferatu", "Heart of Glass", "Fitzcarraldo", et al), and I give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe the source material for this book wasn't available to him, and I can take a lot of meditative shots of trees passing slowly, but when I read that this book is criticised for not being as true as the film, then I say - Herzog clearly had nothing to go by but a raft, a river, and Klaus Kinski in armour. If you are at all interested in this tale (that is all we seem to have now), read this book. It is more informative than the more famous film, and thus more rewarding, unless you like prefer a couple of hours of languid brown water, slow trees, and really cragged faces looking intently at the continually renewed horizon.

A disapiontment.

Promoted as a "bizarre" tale, full of "intrigue" and yadda yadda yadda, this is instead a rather dull story of a group of men trudging around, lost, in the jungle. Many of the "details" in the book are pure conjecture by the author.

For once in my life I would have to advise renting the video rather than reading the book.