Too Close to the Sun by Sara Wheeler: book review

Too Close to the Sun – the Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton (2006, 2017 edition) is about the British adventurer in Kenya from 1911 to his death in 1931.

Born to an aristocratic family in 1887, Denys Finch Hatton attended Eton and Oxford, and was instantly popular for his good looks and charismatic personality. He was adored by both men and women. Lord Cranworth wrote that Denys was ‘the most impressive personality I have ever known.’

Why was he such an iconic figure? Not a lot was written about him, but he was immortalized in two famous novels. Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) wrote about their relationship in her 1937 novel, Out of Africa (Finch Hatton was portrayed by Robert Redford in the movie). Beryl Markham also wrote about their relationhship in West with the Night (1942). Both women were his lovers: one the owner of the Karen Coffee Company, and the other a famous aviatrix.

Sara Wheeler attempts to discover why everyone loved him so much, yet he loved women fleetingly, small planes excitedly, and Africa intensely. He was the ultimate ‘big man restless.’

From England to Australia and finally to Wales, his ancestors were adventurers, failing at making a business in Australia during the Gold Rush. Denys Finch Hatton followed in their footsteps, but not to Australia. Instead, at the age of 24, he chose the opening frontier of Kenya in 1911, a land that captured his heart like no woman could.

He had an ‘unconventional outlook’ and he liked strong women. Although fearless as a hunter turned photographer and adventurer, he had a fear of boredom and commitment. He met Danish Karen Blixen when he was 31 and she was 33. He was her partner for 12 years, and in the final years he was also enchanted with the British flyer Beryl Markham, 15 years his junior. Finch Hatton too became an expert pilot – but he died on a flight on a clear day in May 1931.

Wheeler’s account adds fact to fiction, and reality to fantasy in an attempt to demystify the iconic Denys Finch Hatton. Yet it does not diminish his mysterious charisma – it serves only to add flesh to a family failing in business yet always looking for the next enterprise; a family trait Finch Hatton inherited. Although restless he was not reckless, although aloof he was not arrogant, and although he had a lifelong fear of commitment he was also deeply committed to his loyal friendships. Wheeler has excelled in highlighting his faults and finesse, his search for an escape from boredom, and his eternal search for a grand passion.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Apes go to the movies - and remember the scenes

Apes remember major events in movies, even after a single viewing. That’s the findings of primate research in Japan (New Scientist, September 17, 2015). Researchers at the Kyoto University in Japan conducted experiments with two species of apes – chimpanzees and bonobo primates – to test their memory and recall. Instead of using food to test memory, they used films. The researchers made two short movies to show to the apes. Fumihiro Kano and his colleague, Satoshi Hirata, starred in the films with another person dressed as an ape. They wanted to have strong dramatic scenes to see if the apes remembered them. In the first 30-second movie the character ape bursts through a door on the right hand side (there is also a door on the left hand side) and attacks the two researchers (characters) 18 seconds after the start. After 24 seconds a human character choses one of two weapons next to each other and launched a revenge attack on the ape. In the second 30-second movie t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog