The Africa Letters

I saw Out of Africa recently--an older movie but new to me. I was at an air base this summer (2009) in Japan working on an engineering study. Without a car, I was stuck on the air base, and was grateful for the AFN. I can't say that I like Meryl Streep, but she was perfect for the role. I don't care for Redford's continual aloof role. The movie was ok, but I was more interested in following up on Karen Blixen's writings. I ended up getting her husband's book by mistake. I was going to immediately return it to the library, but started reading it. The introduction is very, very well written, and very interesting--I think it is by his nephew. One can also see how the movie was inaccurate in its portrayal of events and people. There was no Redford character as such. Bror was the one constantly flying, and it was Bror's brother that died in a plane crash. And the failure of the coffee plantation was not climaxed by a fire. The book itself--a compilation of Bror's letters to mostly his girlfriend--are well written and expressive accounts of his hunting trips. But--perhaps because he didn't know who might be reading his mail--I found them to be one-dimensional and did not get into his thoughts or feelings. I got tired of the pointless killing of lions, elephants and buffalo, and quit reading 1/2 way through. It's worth reading just for the intro, and the letters are of memorable stories (if not exactly what I was looking for).

This is a wonderfully written account of Bror Blixen's experiences as big-game hunter and safari leader in East Africa during the 1920s and '30s. Blixen was a larger-than-life settler and safari leader who many believe was Ernest Hemingway's model for the masculine heroes in his books. In letters to friends, Blixen gives us his perceptions of the breathtaking beauty of Africa at that time, and a glimpse into that world before overhunting and progress changed forever the fate of the wild animals.