Dersu the Trapper

Anyone who has seen Kurasawa's film, Dersu Uzala, will find this book to be an unexpected treasure trove of new adventures and new insights into this wonderful character and his friendship with the Russian explorer Arsiniev. In addition to the major themes of mortality, friendship, and the clash between civilization and nature, the book provides a wonderful immersion in the flora and fauna (mostly of the beastly and stinging variety) of the Russian far East at the turn of the 20th century. No complaints, really - there is no other English translation that I know of, of the complete diaries of Arsiniev, and we have no reason to believe that these are in any way no properly edited (there is only so much one can read of valley depths and river lengths). In short, the book is a rare masterpiece that will provide joy in itself and also increase the joy you will get out of watching the film.

I love this book and Kurosawa made a fabulous movie rendition of it. V. K. Arseniev wrote his journal of his surveying exploration trekking through the uncharted woods of eastern Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century. His description of the country he visits and its inhabitants, people and animals, is itself great reading. Along the way he meets and becomes close friends with a local native hunter named Dersu who has spent his whole life in these woods and Dersu teaches him the secrets of the woods. The two men develop an affectionate friendship that ultimately shows how the modern world clashes inexorably with the natural world. The world of the hunter and the world of the city are divided by a wide gulf. Read the book and then find the movie.

Dersu is a very moving story that gave rise to a wonderful movie. The book deserved the film. The film did elegant justice to the book. Akira Kurosawa knew fine material when he found it, and this is prime. It has nature, adventure, survival, the clash of cultures made more profound by a deep and beautiful friendship between representatives of those cultures. Really, though, it is too beautiful for politically correct description. Read it. Give it to your kids to read. It will improve everybody's outlook on life.

Having read this book many years after first seeing the movie Dersu Usala by Kurosawa, I found it thoroughly engaging. It is a chronicle of Arseniev's mapping journeys through parts of Manchuria around the turn of the twentieth century and of his friendship with Dersu. It is told with meticulous attention to the detail of the environment, with many small simple drawings from his journal, and with real love and respect for Dersu himself and his ideas. I was struck by the accuracy of Kurosawa's portrayal of the story and didn't expect the two versions to be so very close. The movie has been one of my favourites for years and now Arsiniev's book sits right beside it. They are both classics in that you wouldn't change a word or scene of them. The book and movie are treasures and are very highly recommended.

Through knowledge based on survival interest, but also on in-depth curiosity, Arseniev offers a narrative monument of love towards nature. His true friendship with Dersu Uzala, the native trapper, opens to us the misteries of the Taiga, and the harmonic rules of nature, on which the role of man has also a place. The style is narrative, straight forward, without artificiality, a little cold, but leaves a vivid impression on the reader through the amazing world that effectively describes. Highly recommended book for nature lovers.