What must be done to turn Nairobi into a dream city Daily Nation he rebranding and repositioning of Nairobi as a leading regional hub of tourism and commercial activities has been long overdue.
Sydney Pollack's films exhibit a versatile, collaborative hand Los Angeles Times He was a brilliant storyteller, skilled in most every genre. His ability to work with actors reached its peak in "Out of Africa."
Kenya: A walk down the wilder side Express TravelWorld Kenya is a haven for travellers who wish to get a taste of the wilderness and wildlife up-close.
July 08, 2008
As part of our ongoing appreciation of the cowboy spirit, we'd like to pause again for a minute to consider what constitutes a cowboy. We've already established that being British or an egghead doesn't necessarily disqualify one from cowboyhood. And now we'd like to add another non-distinction: gender.
Yes, the female cowboy might have to ride sidesaddle, but she can display just as much of the grit, integrity and boldness that define a cowboy. Which we think was ably proved by Karen von Blixen-Finecke, aka Isak Dinesen.
The bare facts of her life should be familiar to anyone who has enjoyed the more-or-less faithful film adaptation of her best-known work, Out of Africa. Born around the turn of the century to a well-off Danish family, she married a second cousin and minor noble and agreed to move with him to Kenya with an eye toward making a fortune in the coffee business.
She stayed there from 1914 through 1931, discovering a powerful love for the African people and landscape, and an inner determination that allowed her to act boldly and independently at a time when women were still measured in terms of how well they served the men around them. She ran the coffee plantation mostly on her own, due to the wandering habits of the husband she eventually divorced. She pursued an open relationship with hunter/pilot Denys Finch Hatton at a time when such extracurricular pursuits were supposed to be entirely a man's choice. She related with the natives in an open, respectful way that challenged European cultural mores.
And she began to write, showing both a flair for narrative and a romantic sensibility that challenged contemporary nihilism. Her characters succeeded or failed based on courage and fortitude in the face of destiny, values that square solidly with the cowboy spirit.
But Dinesen/Blixen says it better than I ever could. These highlights from her writing, mostly letters home, reveal a brave, independent spirit:
The Karen Blixen Museum, Rungstedlund Socks and Books About 15 miles North of Copenhagen is the home of the author Karen Blixen (1885-1962). We visited the house on a wild, windy and soaking day.
Karen Blixen's Kenyan Paradise Tour & Travel As I walk up the shrubbery-lined path to Karen Blixen's house in Kenya I spot the square clock, with its bold Roman numerals, over the veranda. Time played a big role in her life since she waited a lot.
"I had a farm in Africa" - Blixen; "We live near it" - Padre The Middle Bulge I decided that while we live here, I should read "Out of Africa."
A Baroness in Bloom An Aesthete's Lament The baroness who had a farm in Africa also had an estate in Denmark called Rungstedlund. And there Karen von Blixen-Finecke perfected the arrangement of flowers.
Which is the best movie adaptation of Blixen's work?
58% 25% 17%
I've read "Out of Africa" three times in the last couple of years. Seen the movie twice. She's worthy of being called a cowboy.
The British who went out to East Africa are a breed apart from other Brits. Of course, she wasn't a Brit....but she could have been. She had all the right stuff to be a colonial.
Denys Finch-Hatton is a worthy character all by himself. There's interesting facts on the internet about him. He was a colonial expat who wasn't going home again. He didn't go 'native' but he couldn't be a Brit anymore. I know the type.
I'm going to read "Out of Africa" again........
If you want to read about the darker side of white colonialism in East Africa I would recommend "White Mischief" (both a book and a movie) about a celebrated murder of one of the Happy Valley Set in East Africa.
"Habari ako, Bwana?"
"Mzuri, rafiki, mzuri sana."
I lived in Tanzania for a while, during college when I was fluent in Swahili. Interestingly, if you're a very tall, fair skinned, fair haired Anglo fellow, but you know the language and speak properly to your African hosts and compatriots, they will never guess that you're an American. It was assumed by new acquaintances, until they knew better, that I was Russian. And nobody messes with Russians, a fact that was supremely helpful later in my stay when the US shot down that Iranian airliner as it brazenly flew over one of our missile cruisers. That was a very good time to look Russian, believe me, and luckily enough I can even sound Russian. I never did send a thank you note to my old Russian professor. It's never too late to say "thanks for saving my life", is it?
To ExPat,
A couple of other good books to read are "Silence Will Speak" ....about Denys Finch Hatton and "The Lives of Beryl Markam"
rings90 said...
Out of Africa was the first Theater Epic I ever saw. I was 10. I was riveted sitting through the 2 1/2 hour film. I went to see it with my 2 aunts, 2 cousins & my sister the kids were all under the age of 15. the other 3 didn't make it through the film ~ I wanted to stay & see it again.
This woman had so captured my interests & imagination that even at 10 years old I couldn't forget about her. She was so Modern yet had lived in a time when the idea of women having a profession & being an equal in business with her husband was unthinkable especially in society circles. This women was from nobility but she didn't hold tea parties & galas. She learned, she taught, she wrote, a humantarian before all else she really understood that even she as women & being only one person she could make maybe make the world a better place for others.
I have read a few of her stories, but I have never taken the time or the chance to read one of her full novels.
I always buy them if I see them when I attend the big book sales in IL & Iowa but because I am buying for a local used bookstore they tend to get picked to be sold in the shop. And as if to prove her writings are timeless & read yet today the books tend to be sold off the racks before I get back to the shop to buy them for my home library.
To: Mr. Peterman,
Thank you for the recommendations. Beryl Markham , a contemporary of Karen Blixen, was a remarkable woman. She became Finch-Hatton's lover after his affair with Blixen cooled down. He taught Beryl how to fly.
I think I have some excellent Summer reading ahead!
ExPat
Lovey said...
I absolutely love those quotes.
I have to be honest here, I have always been a fan of the movie Out of Africa, due in part to Robert Redford (yes, BIG fan)!. I honestly did not know that the movie was written by, and based on the life of Karen von Blixen-Finecke. Oh....what a woman. I tip my cowgirl hat to her.
Thanks also, for the great summer reading list....I'm off to the library!
I should have said, the story that the movie was based on...
La Donna,
Welcome back! We ran across this sign near White Pines State Park and I thought you'd get a kick out of it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8002542@N04/2651233710/
To: PeterLakessj,
LOVE the photo! : ) If it is OK with you, I'm going to share it with family and friends!
Also, Chicago was the BEST! The energy, the beautiful buildings, the music, and the food! The only thing that I missed, and what I will have to go back for, was "The Taste of Chicago"!
I did look for you, but the only photo that I could go by, involved a parrot.... : )
Oh, and thanks for the welcome back!
LaDonna,
Of course you can share the photo. Glad you enjoyed the Windy City.
JLPowell said...
What a topic. Maybe I'm a romantic but if I could transport myself into a time and space this would be it. It seems a far stretch in the world we live in to have dinner and tell a story all night.... We should all try it sometime.
Sydney Pollak clearly captured the time and put it onto film. I re vist the movie regularly for inspiration.
Took some serious guts to do what she did. A great inspiration for my own girls.
Had no idea Finch Hatton taught Beryl Markham how to fly. Very interesting. At least he had good taste.
Cheers,
JP