The Whispering Land by Gerald Durrell (1961).
A friend recommended this book to me after I returned from Patagonia. The Whispering Land recounts the author’s trek to Argentina in the late 1950s in his quest to find animals for his private zoo in England.
The Whispering Land is a sequel to his first book, A Zoo in My Luggage. Although I have not (yet) read that book, The Whispering Land stands alone.
Argentina of 50 years ago was a very different Argentina that one finds today. Durrell describes the areas where he saw sea lions and elephant seals. He predicts that this will become a tourist attraction. He was spot on. The area is now a nature reserve, but a very popular place for tourists to see these exotic sea animals.
Traveling through the rugged terrain of Argentina was arduous 50 years ago. (It can still be a challenge travelling through the remote areas of the country). Interestingly, as I wondered what Argentina looked like during Durrell’s travels, he marveled at what the country looked like when Charles Darwin visited the land 100 years prior to his visit.
The author’s excitement about seeing penguins was much how I felt upon seeing penguins for the first time. He visited a huge penguin colony during its mating season. Before taking him to the penguin colony, the author had informed his guide that he wanted to see “a fair number” of penguins for photographing. His guide worried that there might not be enough of the birds, informing Durrell he estimated only about “a million penguins” in the colony! As he watches the penguins, the author carefully records the daily comings and goings of the birds as they tend their young. He was truly captivated by these fascinating birds.
Some animals are simply observed and recorded. Other animals he collects for his zoo. In one very funny chapter, Durrell describes how he comes into possession of a Tucuman Amazon parrot named Blanco. It’s owner claimed that it was a very special talking parrot, however, the bird refused to speak in the author’s presence. After some coaxing by its owner, the bird finally blurted out, “Hijo de puta.” (Son of a whore.) The author purchased the bird, but at a much reduced price.
Animals are not the only living beings whose antics are recorded by the author. On a domestic flight to a remote area of north west Argentina, the author finds himself sitting next to a very large (“colossal”) woman whose “various portions of her anatomy … she could not cram into her own seat she had generously allowed to over flow into [the author’s seat].” Despite his initial impression, he found her to be pleasant company on the flight.
I am grateful to my friend for recommending this book. The Whispering Land is a delightful book about the Durrell's encounters with both the locals and the animals he met during his Argentine trip. The author's love and respect for the people and animals shines through on every page.
Read: February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Books Set In Israel
Ten Thousand Lovers, by Edeet Ravel (2003)
Ten Thousand Lovers is a very disturbing book. I can’t help but wonder, however, if it is autobiographical. Both the author and the protagonist, Lily, were born on radical kibbutzim, then moved to Canada while still quite young. Both returned to Israel to attend college. Both studied linguistics.
Most of the novel takes place in the late 1970s, with a few flashbacks, which take place in the early 2000s. Lily returned to Israel to attend college. She lives a “typical” life of a spoiled child experimenting with sex. One day while hitchhiking from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, a handsome young man picks her up. Within hours, they are in bed together.
Over the next few weeks, Lily becomes infatuated with her lover, Ami, and they spend all their free time together. Ami seems to have it all. He makes a good loving, has an expensive car, and can take Lily to places she couldn’t afford as a college student. The catch is that Ami had a dark secret: he is an army interrogator.
Lily is both horrified and intrigued by Ami’s line of work. She questions him about the people he interrogates, but he can tell her little. Ami, however, does what he can do to prevent violent interrogations. He does not use violence when interrogating, but he often sees others abuse the Palestinian prisoners. Although he says he likes his work, Lily can see the internal conflict within Ami after a particularly brutal day.
Ami’s close friend, Ibrahim, is an Arab. Ami’s work does not interfere with their friendship.
Within months after Ami and Lily get together, Lily finds herself pregnant. Before the baby is born, Lily and Ami marry. Marriage in Israel in 1977 were religious marriages, thus they were married in a five minute “ceremony” in a rabbi’s hallway.
In present day, Lily reminisces of her life in Israel as she watches her daughter, now a young woman begin her life.
One of the most fascinating aspect of this book was the author’s intertwining the deeper meaning of Hebrew words into the texture of the novel. The evolution of Hebrew, from its ancient Biblical roots, to a language spoken in the modern world, and the way the meanings of words have been manipulated for political and ideological ends is fascinating.
Still, the violence and treatment of the IDF depicted in this novel was very disturbing.
The Thousand Lovers is the first in a trilogy recounting the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the effects of war on ordinary people living in the Land of Israel. The other two books in the series are Look for Me and A Wall of Light.
Read: February 24, 2010.
Ten Thousand Lovers is a very disturbing book. I can’t help but wonder, however, if it is autobiographical. Both the author and the protagonist, Lily, were born on radical kibbutzim, then moved to Canada while still quite young. Both returned to Israel to attend college. Both studied linguistics.
Most of the novel takes place in the late 1970s, with a few flashbacks, which take place in the early 2000s. Lily returned to Israel to attend college. She lives a “typical” life of a spoiled child experimenting with sex. One day while hitchhiking from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, a handsome young man picks her up. Within hours, they are in bed together.
Over the next few weeks, Lily becomes infatuated with her lover, Ami, and they spend all their free time together. Ami seems to have it all. He makes a good loving, has an expensive car, and can take Lily to places she couldn’t afford as a college student. The catch is that Ami had a dark secret: he is an army interrogator.
Lily is both horrified and intrigued by Ami’s line of work. She questions him about the people he interrogates, but he can tell her little. Ami, however, does what he can do to prevent violent interrogations. He does not use violence when interrogating, but he often sees others abuse the Palestinian prisoners. Although he says he likes his work, Lily can see the internal conflict within Ami after a particularly brutal day.
Ami’s close friend, Ibrahim, is an Arab. Ami’s work does not interfere with their friendship.
Within months after Ami and Lily get together, Lily finds herself pregnant. Before the baby is born, Lily and Ami marry. Marriage in Israel in 1977 were religious marriages, thus they were married in a five minute “ceremony” in a rabbi’s hallway.
In present day, Lily reminisces of her life in Israel as she watches her daughter, now a young woman begin her life.
One of the most fascinating aspect of this book was the author’s intertwining the deeper meaning of Hebrew words into the texture of the novel. The evolution of Hebrew, from its ancient Biblical roots, to a language spoken in the modern world, and the way the meanings of words have been manipulated for political and ideological ends is fascinating.
Still, the violence and treatment of the IDF depicted in this novel was very disturbing.
The Thousand Lovers is the first in a trilogy recounting the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the effects of war on ordinary people living in the Land of Israel. The other two books in the series are Look for Me and A Wall of Light.
Read: February 24, 2010.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Books Set in a Global Environment
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage (2005)
A History of the World in 6 Glasses is a mildly interesting book, not a great read. The author attempts to provide a sketch of the world through the “history” of six beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola. In the book, each drink merits two chapters. With the exception of Coca-Cola, which has a well defined origin, the history of the beverages enumerated in the book is rather dull. Probably because the actual origins are unknown.
The first three drinks are alcoholic; the final three are not.
Evidence of beer can be found in archeological findings in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Wine probably began in the ancient Greek culture. One could easily believe that America became the nation it is because of the spirits, including rum and whiskey, distilled in the early settlements.
The author discusses as becoming a global drink originating with the Arabs, whose trading with Europe brought it to a wider audience. The author claims that the advent of coffee in Europe aided in the Enlightenment, since the beverage gave one a “clear mind” and gave one alertness.
The section on Tea was the weakest part of the book. As with the preceding beverages, the origins of the tea is not clear. Still, the author attempts to explain the popularity of the drink throughout Asia and how it became the “national” beverage of England.
The final segment of the book focused on Coca-Cola, which was the book’s strength. Coca-Cola has very definite origins. In addition to discussing how the mixture of Coke came into being, the author also goes into detail of how the company manipulated advertising to encourage Americans to need the refreshment that Coke could bring. This ultimately lead to global advertising. In addition, the book discusses the Coke/Pepsi rivalry. After reading this section of the book, one will never look at Coke the same way again.
The History of the World in 6 Glasses is light reading and would make a great beach read. It is light non-fiction, but the reader won’t come away with a feeling that he really learned a lot about either the beverages discussed or world history.
Read: February 17, 2010
A History of the World in 6 Glasses is a mildly interesting book, not a great read. The author attempts to provide a sketch of the world through the “history” of six beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola. In the book, each drink merits two chapters. With the exception of Coca-Cola, which has a well defined origin, the history of the beverages enumerated in the book is rather dull. Probably because the actual origins are unknown.
The first three drinks are alcoholic; the final three are not.
Evidence of beer can be found in archeological findings in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Wine probably began in the ancient Greek culture. One could easily believe that America became the nation it is because of the spirits, including rum and whiskey, distilled in the early settlements.
The author discusses as becoming a global drink originating with the Arabs, whose trading with Europe brought it to a wider audience. The author claims that the advent of coffee in Europe aided in the Enlightenment, since the beverage gave one a “clear mind” and gave one alertness.
The section on Tea was the weakest part of the book. As with the preceding beverages, the origins of the tea is not clear. Still, the author attempts to explain the popularity of the drink throughout Asia and how it became the “national” beverage of England.
The final segment of the book focused on Coca-Cola, which was the book’s strength. Coca-Cola has very definite origins. In addition to discussing how the mixture of Coke came into being, the author also goes into detail of how the company manipulated advertising to encourage Americans to need the refreshment that Coke could bring. This ultimately lead to global advertising. In addition, the book discusses the Coke/Pepsi rivalry. After reading this section of the book, one will never look at Coke the same way again.
The History of the World in 6 Glasses is light reading and would make a great beach read. It is light non-fiction, but the reader won’t come away with a feeling that he really learned a lot about either the beverages discussed or world history.
Read: February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Books Set in Kurdistan
My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Family's Past, by Ariel Sabar (2008)
I learned about My Father’s Paradise because it was selected by my reading group. I was immediately taken by both the subject, the Jews of Kurdistan, and the writing.
The author, Ariel Sabar, grew up in California and is all American. In his boyhood eye, he saw his father, Yona beh Sabagah, as something of an embarrassment. He was a funny, out-of-date man who didn’t pay attention to the latest in men’s fashion and spoke with a strange accent. In addition, he drove a beat-up old car that he parked among the Mercedes and Fiats of his California colleagues.
My Father’s Paradise traces Sabar’s paternal family on their journey from the remote area of what is modern day Iraq, to Israel and America. For over 2700 years, Jews had been living peacefully in the mountains of what be known as Kurdistan. As Moslems settled in the mountains, they shared and honored each other’s religious holidays and took care of each other. Their shared language was Aramaic, the franca lingua of the region.
Following World War I, the lands that had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire were divided and the area of Sabar’s family became a part of Iraq. The beginning of the end for their way of life. Tensions escalated in the Middle East. The Kurdish Jews were somewhat protected, but the politics of World War II and the subsequent creation of the State of Israel, forced Jews of the Arab countries to flee. The remote town of Zakho, where Sabar’s family lived was no exception.
When living in Zakho, the family name was Sabagha, which means “dyer.” The family dyed wool for weaving into cloth. The author’s great-grandfather, however, was also a scholar, and could be found in the town’s synagogue studying.
As violence against the Jews in Iraq escalated, the Sabagha family realized it was time to leave for Israel. Although Yona ben Sabagha was only 12 years old, his father insisted that he celebrate his bar mitzvah in the town of his birth. This event marked the end of his idyllic childhood, both literally and figuratively. The bar mitzvah marks the entrance into adulthood, but in Yona’s case, it also marked the end of life as he knew it.
Life in Israel was an adjustment. Israel was a new country and did not have the infrastructure to accommodate the mass immigration. Middle Eastern Jews were discriminated upon by the European Jews, which made life in the Promised Land an additional challenge. One change the family made was to change their surname from Sabagha to Sabar. The new name distanced them from their Kurdish roots and sounded more “Israeli.” In addition, the new family name was a play on the work “sabra”, which means a native-born Israeli.
Yona thrived in Israel, he studied hard and went to college. Because he was a native Aramaic speaker, he became involved in a research project focusing on this previously thought “lost language.” Yona was hooked. Eventually, his study brought him to Yale University where he got a Ph.D. Once he discovered America, even though he was initially disillusioned, he never looked back. He married an American and moved to Los Angeles where he took a job as a professor at the University of California.
In the process of researching this book, Ariel Sabar is able to make peace with his father. Yona and his son return to Iraq to the family village. There, they encounter some of the neighbors that Yona remembered as a child. They also become aware of the danger of being Jewish in this country so many years after their exodus. My Father’s Paradise is a wonderful book. Not only does the reader learn about the Kurdish Jews, but Sabar’s family comes alive. This is a book that should be on everyone’s reading list.
Read: February 16, 2010
I learned about My Father’s Paradise because it was selected by my reading group. I was immediately taken by both the subject, the Jews of Kurdistan, and the writing.
The author, Ariel Sabar, grew up in California and is all American. In his boyhood eye, he saw his father, Yona beh Sabagah, as something of an embarrassment. He was a funny, out-of-date man who didn’t pay attention to the latest in men’s fashion and spoke with a strange accent. In addition, he drove a beat-up old car that he parked among the Mercedes and Fiats of his California colleagues.
My Father’s Paradise traces Sabar’s paternal family on their journey from the remote area of what is modern day Iraq, to Israel and America. For over 2700 years, Jews had been living peacefully in the mountains of what be known as Kurdistan. As Moslems settled in the mountains, they shared and honored each other’s religious holidays and took care of each other. Their shared language was Aramaic, the franca lingua of the region.
Following World War I, the lands that had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire were divided and the area of Sabar’s family became a part of Iraq. The beginning of the end for their way of life. Tensions escalated in the Middle East. The Kurdish Jews were somewhat protected, but the politics of World War II and the subsequent creation of the State of Israel, forced Jews of the Arab countries to flee. The remote town of Zakho, where Sabar’s family lived was no exception.
When living in Zakho, the family name was Sabagha, which means “dyer.” The family dyed wool for weaving into cloth. The author’s great-grandfather, however, was also a scholar, and could be found in the town’s synagogue studying.
As violence against the Jews in Iraq escalated, the Sabagha family realized it was time to leave for Israel. Although Yona ben Sabagha was only 12 years old, his father insisted that he celebrate his bar mitzvah in the town of his birth. This event marked the end of his idyllic childhood, both literally and figuratively. The bar mitzvah marks the entrance into adulthood, but in Yona’s case, it also marked the end of life as he knew it.
Life in Israel was an adjustment. Israel was a new country and did not have the infrastructure to accommodate the mass immigration. Middle Eastern Jews were discriminated upon by the European Jews, which made life in the Promised Land an additional challenge. One change the family made was to change their surname from Sabagha to Sabar. The new name distanced them from their Kurdish roots and sounded more “Israeli.” In addition, the new family name was a play on the work “sabra”, which means a native-born Israeli.
Yona thrived in Israel, he studied hard and went to college. Because he was a native Aramaic speaker, he became involved in a research project focusing on this previously thought “lost language.” Yona was hooked. Eventually, his study brought him to Yale University where he got a Ph.D. Once he discovered America, even though he was initially disillusioned, he never looked back. He married an American and moved to Los Angeles where he took a job as a professor at the University of California.
In the process of researching this book, Ariel Sabar is able to make peace with his father. Yona and his son return to Iraq to the family village. There, they encounter some of the neighbors that Yona remembered as a child. They also become aware of the danger of being Jewish in this country so many years after their exodus. My Father’s Paradise is a wonderful book. Not only does the reader learn about the Kurdish Jews, but Sabar’s family comes alive. This is a book that should be on everyone’s reading list.
Read: February 16, 2010
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