Customer Reviews

Robert Ruark's Africa

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Between June of 1951, and his death on July 1,1965, Robert Ruark spent some time each year in Africa, both hunting and reporting on the changing scene on a continent he fell in love with at first sight, and this book covers those years using magazine articles Ruark wrote. It is more, far more, than a report on "today I shot this and yesterday I shot that" type of writing one so often sees in books of this nature. Some of Ruark's articles on the Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya are included, as fine a piece of straight reporting as was ever done on the terror of that period, along with a short story with (of course) an African/ Mau-Mau theme included as well. Some may complain about Ruark's apparent racism, but the best answer to that is to remind those critcs that both the English colonial government of Kenya AND its first "native" (black African) government both wound up banning Ruark from entering the country. When a reporter gets both sides mad at him its usually a sign that he is doing a fairly rounded job. Robert Ruark loved Africa as he loved no place (and few people), and the articles in this book show that. Those who disapprove of the sport of hunting will want to skip this book, since safaris make up the biggest part of it, but anyone interested in a view of Africa during the turbulent times of the '50's and early '60's would not want to miss it, and anyone interested the fine writing of the driven, self destructive genius that was Robert Ruark MUST have this book.....

For those of us who were born a couple of generations after Robert Ruark hunted the African veldt and who cut our teeth on Peter Capstick's prose, this book is a must read. Ruark's tales harken to a halcyon age when hunters were still expected to follow up their own game, cut their own roads through the bush and build their own bridges. Anyone who has ever been bitten by the Africa bug, who has ever longed to seek out and kill something that could kill him in return and who has ached to feel his soul sweat in the glorious exertion of the hunt will appreciate Ruark's tales. Any collection on hunting or Africana is incomplete without this volume. Any collection on man searching for himself is incomplete without this book.

This book is a collection of magazine articles written by Robert Ruark in the 1950s. For those who don't know who Ruark was, he was a journalist and novelist of the 40s and 50s. In the post-war era, he became known as one of the most acerbic journalists and developed a national reputation. He went on a safari in the early 1950s that changed his life. He spent much of the next decade or more traveling to East Africa to hunt big game and birds, and writing about his experiences. He was a profilic author and wrote thousands of magazine articles and several novels of widely varying quality.

There are twenty articles in this collection divided up into three sections. The first section is a selection of articles (written mostly for Field and Stream) just after Ruark went on his first safari. He describes his thoughts and impressions of the hunt, of life in the wilds of East Africa, and some of his companions. He also discusses the complexities and dangers of hunting various types of big game including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and cape buffalo. All I can say is that a safari in the 50s must have been an unbelievable experience. The second section is devoted primarily to Ruark's impression of the Mau-Mau uprising in the mid-50s. These section is more of a recounting of various tales of people caught up in the Mau-Mau violence than discussions about hunting. The third section returns to discussions on hunting, but now we see a more mature Ruark who takes more pleasuring in facilitating the hunting of others rather than his own shooting. He still retains a keen interest in bird hunting though throughout this later period.

I was inspired to buy this book after having read Hemingway's `Green Hills of Africa' and was not disappointed. Ruark certainly was not the writer that Hemingway was, but this collection of Ruark's articles contains far more information on the details and experiences of big game hunting, even if it lacks Hemingway's literary flourish. I am no expert on African hunting/safari literature, but I feel that Ruark's article bring me as close to the experience without actually doing it myself. The editor, Michael McIntosh, has written a nice introduction that is part a biography of Ruark (a conflicted man at best) and part a literary criticism of Ruark. There are also some very nice line drawings interspersed through the text. Overall this work lies somewhere below a `classic', but it is definitely worth a look if you have any interest in hunting, East Africa, or safari in an era now gone forever.

This book is a compilation of short or condensed Ruark stories.It offers an inside look at what Ruark loved best in this world; Africa. Some stories are better than others, but it is all great reading.(It is no "Horn of the Hunter!)
Ruark wrote with an eloquence seldom seen in the literary world today. He understood the power of the written word and had the ability to string together sentences and thoughts which are a pure pleasure to read. He should be a "Must Read" for every journalism student.

I loved this book because it shows Ruark as he actually was through many of his magazine articles. We see Africa through his eyes and it comes to life for us. In retrospect, we see that he was seeing the end of the glorious hunting age and the beginning of the photographic safaris. As we know, he was not much of a photographer but he did love to photograph the animals as well. This book fulfilled my need of another fix of "Robert Ruark and his love of Africa."

This is a good collection of Ruark's African articles. Those familiar with his work as well as those with an interest in the glory days of Safari hunting will enjoy it. New readers and those without an interest will find it dated, but the timely accounts of Mau Mau are worthwhile for anyone. There are some "natural history" mistakes by modern standards but in historical perspective it is still excellent work. Michael MacIntosh's commentary is enlightening without infringing on the original text.

Robert Ruark was an amazing writer. He had wit, was serious and could be quite funny. He remimds me of Capstick.
Both were excellent writers and hunters. Ruark's " Use enough Gun " is another very good book. If you like thrills
and excitement of facing dangerous game one on one, then you will like Robert Ruark's books. Interesting and hard
to put down once you start reading! Best buys were on Amazon!

An excellent read if you or a hunter (or even if you are not). All of Ruark's writings are great! There are several more I plan to read before I'm done.