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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great forgotten classics of the century, August 23, 1998
This review is from: The Death Ship (Paperback)
B. Traven is unquestionably one of the most fascinating writers of the 20th century. For decades nothing was known about him except rumor, and his exact identity was shrouded in confusion and mystery. It was not even known for certain what language he wrote in (it turned out to be German). When John Huston was making the film version of Traven's THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, Traven declined to visit the set, sending a friend instead. After Traven's death the first known photos of Traven were made public, and Huston recognized Traven as the so-called friend, who was using yet another of his many aliases (of which B. Traven was but one). Anyone interested in learning more about the man who was the most mysterious author of the century should consult Wyatt's THE SECRET OF SIERRA MADRE: THE MAN WHO WAS B. TRAVEN. THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE is a classic, but this novel may be even better. A man without a passport, a crime in post WW I Europe, is forced to take a job on an ancient steamer (the narrator suggests it was old when the Greeks and Romans ruled the Mediterranean). The result is a nightmarish descent into hell and one of the most unforgetable masterpieces of the century.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good read, but not Traven's best, March 13, 2005
This review is from: The Death Ship (Paperback)
This novel begins as an almost-humorous tale of a man trapped in a bureaucratic web, then advances to an adventure on the high seas. A U.S. merchant sailor finds himself stranded in 1920's Europe without a passport or his seaman's card after his ship leaves without him (his documents are aboard the ship). Without his ID he finds himself an outcast, an unwelcome vagabond that ships won't hire, nations don't want, and whom U.S. Consuls brush off. Broke, stranded and desperate, he eventually finds work aboard the Yorikke. That vessel is called a death ship for its dangerous hard work, meager pay, and atrocious conditions. Our hero can only hope that the Yorikke will eventually set anchor in a U.S. port - but that could take months or years. There is a certain Franz Kafka/Twilight Zone quality to this story of a little man trapped by an unfair system. I felt the novel story got better in the second half, as our friend adjusts to his difficult situation only to find himself in great danger.
Chicago-born author B. Traven (1890-1969) lived secretly, wrote readable prose, and didn't hide his contempt for the effects of government rules and unregulated capitalism on ordinary people. This story doesn't match his TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, but it makes for a solid read.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A VERY STRANGE STORY, January 10, 2000
This review is from: The Death Ship (Paperback)
Imagine your very worst nightmare; you have lost absolutely all references to your identity and are displaced thousands of miles from any contact with anyone who would be able to positively identify you. Since you are sort of a drifter to begin with, your problem is compounded. You have no money. You are kicked out of a few countries, decide that life is just too good for you in another country and that moreover you long to return to work at your profession, that of a sailor. A weird ship takes you on and now you can't get off it. This a story the likes of which you will probably never come across again. It is weird, the writing is vivid, and you become the doomed sailor reading it. You might not think the story the best you've ever read, hardly so, but you certainly wont long forget this one.
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