Sometimes called the best belgian book of the last quarter century, war and turpentine has all the ingredients a contemporary epic one could ever ask for. David van reybrouck is an awardwinning author, acclaimed playwright. The epic history of a people written by the belgian author. He lives in san francisco with his wife, sociologist and author arlie russell hochschild. He fostered deep bonds with the primitive sonde tribe and gained the full confidence of kianza, their illiterate tribal chirf, who inspired this book. The author, a former academic turned awardwinning writer, is regarded as the. On their journey they discover the lost city of zinj and a new species of killer gorillas, which they must overcome to survive. Even the maps produced in belgium seem designed to convey this impression of an isolated island fortress. Bulletin officiel du congo belge, volume 50, part 2 belgian congo snippet view 1957. Also active in exposing the activities of the congo free state was the author sir arthur conan doyle, whose book the crime of the congo was widely read in the early 1900s. Myers was raised in the belgian congo and has used that time to influence these stories of the belgian congo.
Despite the atrocities committed by belgian colonists at the turn of the century, we dont have any knowledge or proof of children hanged in the congo, guido gryseels, director of the royal museum for central africa in belgium, told afp. List of books and articles about belgian congo online. The book reconstructs the period from 1884 to 1907 when king leopold ii of belgium occupied the territory that became zaire and is known today as the democratic republic of the congo. Great book, should be mandatory in belgian and european classrooms. Author hochschild recounts lost history of horror in the. The belgian congo mysteries series takes the reader in the 1950s deep in fascinating congo. Oxford university press, 1961 ocolc555344677 online version. Based on his grandfathers actual memories, veteran author stefan hertmans always considered somewhat of an intellectual has tapped into his familys past to create a story.
The predicament of a white girl in the belgian congo and the terrible legacy of her american father. In 1921, freedom fighter william pickens described the mississippi river valley as the american congo. Congo is a 1980 science fiction novel by michael crichton. F oreign powers have been meddling in the congo ever since the belgian king leopold ii sent stanley off in pursuit of the regions enormous mineral wealth. Van reybrouck, a belgian historian, spent years working on this overview of the congolese people. The new imperialism and the founding of the congo free state 6. I will tell you a story about me and my cruel ruler. The congo free state and the new imperialism by kevin. The new government killed many foreigners as a retribution for crimes committed against congolese people by the belgians. Beyond the retelling of slave and ivory trading, belgian colonialism, and. Yet he achieved a full understanding of the history of the former belgian colony in the heart of africa only while carrying out research for this monumental book. The belgian congo remained a belgian colony until independence in 1960. Imagine being in a village where your only friend only whispers to you. Its an expedition to darkest africa, to the northeast corner of the congo rain forest in zaire, in search of a lost city zinj full of diamonds and danger.
Fiction and nonfiction books set completely or at least partially in either the republic of the congo or the democratic republic of the congo. Preface to adopted by an american homosexual in the belgian congo by martin tucker, editorinchief of confrontation magazine liu, new york, poet and biographer of joseph conrad and sam shepard history is a thread which is not seamless. Richard lea surveys the best books about a troubled region. According to the author, chapel road is the book about the childhood of ondine, about her brother valeertraleer with his monstrous head wobbling through life this way and that.
Tim butchers top 10 books about congo books the guardian. News from belgium and the belgian congo volume 4 no. Van reybrouck estimates that an hour of travel in the belgian congo. In fact, hochschild suggests, heart of darkness stands as a remarkably precise and detailed portrait of king leopolds congo in 1890, just as one of historys. Indeed, the author tracked down congolese and belgians who had lived through the historical events and could tell their own stories about. It has often been said that belgium has no official colonial doctrine, and that is true enough in the sense that there is none which is complete and systematic. In my room he had put some books from his beautiful library, among them congo. Nan woodruff argues that the african congo under belgiums king leopold ii is an apt metaphor for the delta of the early twentieth century. Most of us might first think of those who put their lives on the line in defense of an ideal.
Crichton calls congo a lost world novel in the tradition founded by henry rider haggards king solomons mines, featuring the mines of that works title. Its translation from dutch, by sam garrett, is a piece of luck for englishspeaking readers. Like many belgians of his generation, david van reybrouck knew congo from stories of the old days. It is also the story of louis paul boon, an author working on a novel entitled chapel road, surrounded by his.
The style reads much like a cozy, but tamar myers adds some weight to it with her knowledge of the congo during this time, as she was a. The novel centers on an expedition searching for diamonds and investigating the mysterious deaths of a previous expedition in the dense tropical rainforest of the congo. Fearing for their lives, tamars family left the congo in. It is clear that the author is not your typical historian dryly publishing his findings.
When hogue arrived in the belgian congo, he was challenged by the 242 different languages spoken by the populace of 15 million, only 30,000 of whom were white. Adopted by an american homosexual in the belgian congo. Foreign powers have been meddling in the congo ever since the belgian king leopold ii. The author lived seven years in the congo as a servant of the belgian government. Sprawling portrait of a land that, by belgian writer van reybroucks account, has been at the center of world history as well as a continent. The democratic republic of congo occupied fifth place, after notoriously dysfunctional. In 1960, the congo became an independent nation after decades of being a belgian colony. For belgium the book of the century, for europa the book of the decade. The epic history of a people and millions of other books are available for amazon. Leodine, the daughter of astrid, a beautiful fleming, and of gregory mcneil, a young buoyant g. A courageous soldier, a gruesome war, a love long lost. For long the congo appeared to be a peaceful island untouched by african anticolonialism. The belgian congo 2nd edition by ruth slade, 1961 online research library.
According to hochschild, leopold profited from the congos rubber, ivory and other riches but at the cost of the lives of some 10 million congolese. Esteemed scholar david van reybrouck balances hundreds of interviews with a diverse range of. Belgian congo at war download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. From what this book says it is now out of business as is everything else from congo s days as a belgian colony. Click download or read online button to get belgian congo at war book now. In 1959, the belgian government decided to hold an election that would give congolese puppets formal power over the governance of the congo. What are the best books about the belgian congo and king. The author s trip seemed genuinely dangerous at times. Five years with the congo cannibals, herbert ward 1890. Entertainereducator crichton, that clever devil, has done it againby dressing up one of the oldest bookmovie scenarios around with enough capsulized science, history, and geography to keep readers happily on their toes. Congolese win independence from the belgian empire, 1959. Belgian administration in the congo book, 1961 worldcat. A deeply knowledgeable drc country specialist for nongovernment organization amnesty international usa and author of the congo wars, turner is an able guide with ample background on this nuanced regions multifaceted character.
Leodine of the belgian congo book by albert russo on. Morel about the brutal treatment of africans there especially those forced to collect rubber for concessionaire companies led to a popular campaign for belgium to take over the state from. The book is the result of six years of research, and the author conducted 10 trips to congo and had over 500 interviews with congolese citizens, both notable. The belgian parliament did not exercise its right to annex the congo in 1901, but reports starting in 1904 particularly by roger casement and e. Patrice lumumba, just released from prison, showing his injured wrists what does it mean to have courage. Ledgard is the author of the novel submergence, director of the. What makes the series unique is the fact that the author herself was born and raised in congo and she has the ability to immerse the reader in that amazing land. Belgium and the congo, 18851980 examines the effects of colonialism on the domestic politics, diplomacy and economics of belgium, from 1880 when king leopold ii began the countrys expansionist enterprises in africa to the 1980s, well after the congos independence in june of 1960.
King leopolds ghost was a finalist for the national book critics circle award, as was to end all wars. Leopold ii had no firm plans when he founded the association internationale africaine in 1876, nor yet in 1879 when he secured stanleys services. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. But what distinguishes the book is its clearheadedness.
The belgian intention was to take the relevance from the radicals lips by appeasing the people with a moderate puppet. Does this photo really show belgians hanging a child in. The book became a bestseller in belgium, but aroused criticism from former belgian colonialists and some academics as exaggerating the extent of the atrocities and population decline. As adam hochschilds disturbing new book on the belgian congo makes clear, however, kurtz was based on several historical figures, and the horror conrad described was all too real.
Also in 2005, the american and british publishers of king leopolds ghost reissued the book with a new afterword by hochschild in which he talks about the reactions to the book, the death toll, and events in the congo since its publication. Like its author, this book, written in two volumes as a package with newspaper sponsors, is not trammelled by modesty. The deep knowledge of the earliest african life is lost forever bec. Around the 50th anniversary of the congo s independence from belgium in 2010, numerous belgian writers published content about the congo. Congo david van reybrouck hardcover harpercollins publishers. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck the. Tamar myers has created an enchanting historical mystery set in the belgian congo in 1958 with her novel the witch doctors wife. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
A belgian writer based in brussels, van reybrouck had no personal experience of congo until 2003, when he decided to write a book about it. It borders on angola in the southwest and west, on the atlantic ocean, cabinda an angolan exclave, and the republic of the congo in the west, on the central african republic and south sudan in the north, on uganda, rwanda, burundi. By 1908, public pressure and diplomatic manoeuvres led to the end of leopold iis absolutist rule and to the annexation of the congo free state as a colony of belgium. Deep in the african rain forest, near the legendary ruins of the lost city. The naturalist and travel writer sets off on an intrepid river journey in. As hochschilds brilliant book demonstrates, the great congo scandal. Questia read the fulltext online edition of the belgian congo 1961. And adopted by an american homosexual in the belgian congo is a nonstop, gripping read. The epic history of a people traces the history of one of the most devastated nations in the world. Epic in scope yet eminently readable, penetrating and deeply moving, david van reybroucks congo. Within this dark framework begins the austerely titled book congo by thomas turner. Hochschild struggles against the great forgetting of belgium s exploitation of the congo with this corrective history of leopold iis bloody empire. From the beginnings of the slave trade through colonization, the struggle for independence, mobutus brutal three decades of rule, and the civil war that has raged from 1996 to the present day, congo.