The biography of Denis Fitch-Hatton by Sara Wheeler.For those who don't know he was a big game hunter ,aviator,etc. also the lover of Karin Blixen (wife of Blor) + Beryl Markham amongst others Contemporaries with Hemingway,Percival + others in that era,etc, .He was the character portrayed by Robert Redford in the movie "Out Of Africa".It is a fun read.

I thought it was decent as well. I could have spent much time with Finch-Hatton I think.

Assume you recommend the book ?

swain - if you mean me, yes. I'd also recommend Silence Will Speak, which is also about Finch-Hatton. Be sure to read West With the Night too.

Thanks for the recommendations !!

I have had some very good experiences with recommendations and suggestions from this forum regarding books related to Africa and hunting.

If you like "West With The Night" (Beryl Markham's autobiography) you might enjoy her biography "Straight On Till Morning" as well as her book of African short stories titled "The Splendid Outcast".

Ordered the book from Amazon. Got it earlier in the week, will start reading this weekend.

I think you will be pleased.

Just a short recap after finishing Too Close To The Sun :
Sara Wheeler did an outstanding job of research in preparation for writing the book, including going to the library in Nairobi to read the archives on Denys. This is a very detailed book.

Karen Blixen was very much in love with Denys, but after 12 years she realized he was never going to settle down and marry her. Her coffee plantation was set up for failure from the being due to location. In the end she was very disgruntled with Denys.

A substantial amount of Kenya settlement history is included.
Hatton was an accomplished safari guide , but also championed game conservation and was an early pioneer of the photo safari.

Just a couple of quirks on my part, Sara Wheeler is an Oxford grad, her vocabulary is more than robust. I enjoy writers such as Ruark, Pat Conroy and Wilbur Smith who occasionally have me reaching for my dictionary.
However, I took out a note pad to list the words that I had never seen before. On one page of the book alone I had five new words to research. Maybe it is a reflection on me , but I thought the vocabulary was a bit too much.
Secondly, while it is a biography of Denys Finch Hatton , his safari endeavors are described in very general loose detail , details of the hunt are brief except when he took the Prince of Wales on safari.

There are photos in the book of Denys, his family and Karen Blixen, no safari photos at all, she kept it PC with respect to hunting in my opinion.

Overall I enjoyed the book.

Will probably read West With The Night.

[QUOTE]
Just a couple of quirks on my part, Sara Wheeler is an Oxford grad, her vocabulary is more than robust. I enjoy writers such as Ruark, Pat Conroy and Wilbur Smith who occasionally have me reaching for my dictionary.
However, I took out a note pad to list the words that I had never seen before. On one page of the book alone I had five new words to research. Maybe it is a reflection on me , but I thought the vocabulary was a bit too much.[QUOTE]

I agree--I'm part-way into the book and find her style of writing demanding--but then, it seems most British authors adopt a similar style, especially in non-fiction works.

I majored in literature as an undergraduate and graduate student, and taught American and British lit at high school and university levels, so while I don't consider myself a scholar by any means, I think I have an above-average level of comprehension.

Wheeler's use of language and form in this biography is . . . challenging.

quote:

Originally posted by Nitro Express:
[QUOTE]
Just a couple of quirks on my part, Sara Wheeler is an Oxford grad, her vocabulary is more than robust. I enjoy writers such as Ruark, Pat Conroy and Wilbur Smith who occasionally have me reaching for my dictionary.
However, I took out a note pad to list the words that I had never seen before. On one page of the book alone I had five new words to research. Maybe it is a reflection on me , but I thought the vocabulary was a bit too much.[QUOTE]

I agree--I'm part-way into the book and find her style of writing demanding--but then, it seems most British authors adopt a similar style, especially in non-fiction works.

I majored in literature as an undergraduate and graduate student, and taught American and British lit at high school and university levels, so while I don't consider myself a scholar by any means, I think I have an above-average level of comprehension.

Wheeler's use of language and form in this biography is . . . challenging.

Thanks Nitro, glad I am not the only one challenged with her vocabulary.

I did enjoy the book .

Whew! I finally finished slogging through Too Close To The Sun and it was an effort. Admittedly, I only read about 10-15 minutes a day, maybe twice a week, because to do otherwise was just too tedious.

It didn't take long to figure out why the biography was dubbed "the life and times of Denys Finch Hatton" as there was a lot more "times" than "life."

One wonders if Wheeler started to research Finch Hatton and discovered there was only enough material for a short article instead of a full-blown biography and then decided to expand the work to include substantial history of the period before and after The Great War.

I noted an obvious bias against trophy hunting in some of Wheeler's use of language, and the observation that Finch Hatton moved from gun hunting to photography in fairly short order. As observed, above, there is only sketchy mention of safaris he led; no detail as to daily encounters.

I think my main criticism of Wheeler's work is her use of artistic license to offer direction quotations from several of the persons included in the biography. There are a number examples of people talking directly to one another, and as these conversations were not mechanically recorded or transcribed in letters or other writings, it is logical to assume Wheeler invented them. I wonder if that is appropriate in what is ostensibly a scholarly work?

At the end of the day I did get a fairly complete idea of Finch Hatton the man, although Wheeler makes it clear she is not impressed with his character or life choices.

I did learn a lot about Africa's role in WWI, though.

It is not the best,however it should be a part of every mans library to coincide with Beryl Markham's works as well as Karin + Brors.One is well advised to listen to the REAL history from all sides.