Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Literary Criticism    3. Middle East - General    4. Middle Eastern    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Algeria    7. Classic travel writing    8. Middle East   

Reviews (3)

Vivid writing - difficult life
This is a book I remembered for 30 years and went back one day recently to find.I was not disappointed although I can see why this book appealed to me so strongly as a 20 year old.Isabelle is an amazing writer.Like the writers of haiku, Isabelle captures the beauty of the desert around her and her feelings about her life in so few words and yet so beautifully.Her love of her adopted country and religion season her view and experience of life.One might wish she had had a happier time of it or been a little better at making a living, but overall this brief book is an amazing contribution to the world by a very unusual person.I highly recommend it.

An amazing life, a one-of-a-kind diary
The unusual life and bizarre death of Isabelle Eberhardt (dressing as a man, she traveled through Saharan Africa and drowned -- in the desert -- at age 27) only emphasizes the uniqueness of the written record she left behind. Unlike the works of other adventurers like Sir Richard Burton and T. E. Lawrence, Eberhardt's diary never clarifies why she endured these hardships, or even why her life was such a complex tangle that there was an attempt on her life shortly before she drowned. Her unsettling story of gender deception, unaccompanied travel in Islamic society, and unresolved death is so far out of cultural norms that her story is seldom told, and makes this diary all the more important. Isabelle Eberhardt's life and death are still a mystery to be solved.

Something creepy this way comes
I can't put my finger on it but there was something about Isabelle Eberhardt that just made my skin crawl.I didn't like her as a person and never really got to care about her or what happened to her.It's strange because normally I love this kind of book about unconventional women living outside of society's expected norms for them, but this woman, I just did not like! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1877-1904    2. Africa - General    3. Algeria    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Diaries    7. Eberhardt, Isabelle,    8. Essays & Travelogues    9. Modern - 19th Century    10. North Africa - History    11. Travel    12. Women   

Reviews (4)

Arab Country?
To the first reviewer: Algeria an Arab country? Where did you get this one? Don't talk about people and countries you don't know about. Algeria is Berber. Many algerians are arabic-speaking, but no one is Arab. How dare you reduce Berbers to this shamefully exotcizing picture :"beautiful Berber children in Kabyle" ?
Photojournalism At Its Best
Swiss photojournalist von Graffenried made eight trips to Algeria during the 1990s to document the horrific effects of the conflict that started smoldering in the late '80s and burst into open civil war with the cancellation of the 1991-92 elections. One has to admire the sheer bravery of the effort, as this was a period in which some seventy or so journalists were killed by Islamic guerillas, and some 100,000 people were killed by guerillas and the army. Beyond this obvious danger, there is no "camera culture" in Algeria (nor indeed in most Arab countries). Traditionally, the camera is reserved for documenting special occasions, and in Algeria it is tainted by its association with the French, who used it during Algeria's struggle for independence as a tool of control. To overcome these obstacles, von Graffenried used an old a Widelux panoramic camera which produces 150� views without any lens or shutter noise. Armed with this camera which looks like a pair of binoculars, he would shoot from the hip, guessing at what was in frame. This technique is one that makes for interesting ethical debates, and even von Graffenried admitted in an interview that "it makes you feel dirty." Thankfully he was able to rise to this challenge and come away with such a stunning collection of ninety black and white photographs, beautifully reproduced in this stark coffee-table book.
Searing and unforgettable images
As a photographer (albeit amateur) who has attempted to work inside other Arab countries photographing Islamist insurgencies and security forces, I have a huge amount of respect for the environment in which von Graffenreid attempted to work.He has succeeded hugely.His photographs are stark, absolutely searing, and freighted with undertones of almost unbearable tension.This book should be mandatory for anyone with an interest in photojournalism, combat photography, the Middle East, Islamist politics, and covert photography. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1990-    2. Africa - General    3. Algeria    4. Photo Essays    5. Photography    6. Photojournalism    7. Pictorial works    8. Politics and government    9. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Africa    10. Photographs: collections    11. Photography / Photojournalism   

Reviews (3)

more than jottings
this book has value beyond furnishing tidbits for Camus scholars, providing his take on North and South America, notably New York City and cities of Brazil, along with Buenos Aires and Santiago.He seems to have met only a few people he liked, and maybe two or three sites impressed him.He reflects on suicide.No it is not a cheerful work, but it is vivid.Hard to imagine this was the tour of a man at his most successful.For Americans, this work if valuable for he describes our homeland; if you have read the major works, this is worth a gander.

A Treasure for American Camus-philes
Educated Americans share a self-consciousness, a painful awareness that we descendants of mere colonists are probably at best nouveau-riche; in short, that we are not Europeans.Indeed, we struggle to hide our secret gratitude when a European friend--particularly a Frenchman--even shows interest in us.Thus it is a great joy to open these pages and find that one of the greatest products of French letters took the time to set down his thoughts about us and our country.Camus wrote these notes during a lecture tour to this country while he was in his thirties, a time when he was first coming to international attention and when he was deep in preparation of some of his most important literary works.Camus reveals a critical but endearingly tender fascination with our country, with its often crass culture, with its sometimes seemingly naive optimism, and with its lack of awareness of its own inestimable riches.At the same time, serious students of his work will discover the first inklings of insights and ideas that would work their way into his major writings. insightful
This book is a peek into how Camus really feels about The United States and South America, when he was here. He was also very specific, right downto what he did in the morning, how he prepared for each day, what he saidto his fellow passengers, as well as how many people snored in his traincabin. I suggest this to anyone who is interested in Camus, as well as toanyone who enjoys reading a diary-style novel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1913-1960    2. 20th century    3. America    4. Authors, Algerian    5. Authors, French    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Camus, Albert,    9. Diaries    10. Literary    11. Travel    12. Camus, Albert    13. Journeys    14. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Africa, North    2. Description and travel   

Subjects:  1. Africa,History,history of Africa,North Africa,description of Africa,travel,social life,social life of Africa,customs,Algeria,Tunisia,Morocco,John Foster Fraser,women,woman,family,arabic,muslim,islamic,families,girls,harem    2. History / Africa   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Africa, North    2. Description    3. Guidebooks    4. North Africa   

Reviews (4)

A Great Guide Book, But Not Always Entirely Accurate
I am an experienced desert driver and bought Sahara Overland in the planning stage of a Gilf Kebir and Uweinat trip that I put together with a bunch of friends when I was living in Egypt. On preparation, this is the bible. It is an absolute MUST get and DEFINITE need.What cars (although a bunch of good cars are not covered, and to his credit Chris Scott acknowledges this) and how to prepare them, advice on equipment and supplies, emergency repairs, all invaluable.
A thoroughly excellent, traveler friendly guidebook.
Sahara Overland: A Route & Planning Guide is the first truly comprehensive guidebook to one of the world's most compelling andchallenging environments, North Africa's Sahara Desert. Ranging from theMoroccan Atlas Mountains to the Red Sea, Sahara Overland is ideal forSaharan travelers whether for a weekend excursion, a week long vacation, ora season spanning safari. Thirty-five detailed itineraries are available,covering more than 15,000 miles through nine countries: Morocco,Mauritania, Libya, Mali, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad and Egypt. The onlySaharan guidebook covering all aspects of traveling the great desert byvehicle, Sahara Overland provides tips on how not to get lost, and what todo when things go wrong. Chris Scott's informative, "travelerfriendly" text is enhanced with fifty maps and more than 300 b&wand color photographs. If you are planning a trip through the Sahara, beginwith acquiring and throughly reading Chris Scott's Sahara Overland.

The best guide to real adventure travel I've read
Chris Scott's book was worth the wait. I've been exploring the deserts of the United States and Mexico for decades, and my wife and I plan to ship our vehicle to Morocco and explore the Sahara soon. This book has left noquestion unanswered.Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Personal & Practical Guides    3. Reference - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel / Africa    7. Motorcycling    8. Cycling    9. Algeria    10. Tunisia   

Subjects:  1. 1877-1904    2. Algeria    3. Biography    4. Diaries    5. Eberhardt, Isabelle,    6. Travel    7. Voyages And Travels    8. Women    9. Eberhardt, Isabelle   

Subjects:  1. Africa, North    2. Description and travel    3. Sahara   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Algeria    3. Colonies    4. Description and travel    5. France    6. History    7. Islam   

Subjects:  1. Filippo,Pananti,Algeria,Africa,descriptio,travel,narrative,geography,history,christian powers,relations,barbary states    2. History / Africa   

Subjects:  1. 1830-1962    2. Algeria    3. Description and travel    4. France    5. History    6. History, Military   

Subjects:  1. 1820-1876    2. 18th And 19th Century Description And Travel    3. Africa    4. Algeria    5. Artists, Architects, Photographers    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Description and travel    8. Essays & Travelogues    9. Fromentin, Eugene,    10. Fromentin, Eugáene,    11. North Africa - History    12. Sahara    13. Travel    14. Travel - Foreign    15. African history    16. Biography: general    17. Classic travel writing    18. Fromentin, Eugène    19. Individual artists    20. Travel & holiday guides    21. Travel / Essays & Travelogues   

Subjects:  1. 1830-    2. Algeria    3. History    4. Ê»Abd al-Qādir ibn MuhÌ£yī al-Dīn   

Subjects:  1. Algeria    2. Description and travel    3. Tunis (Tunisia)   

Subjects:  1. Algeria    2. Description and travel    3. Sahara    4. Social life and customs