غربًا برفقة الليل ..

سيرة ذاتية زاخرة بالمغامرات في أدغال إفريقيا
مواقف وقصص مفعمة بالشجاعة والإقدام
تجارب مشحونة بـ"نشوة الأدرينالين"

أي حياة تلك التي عاشتها برل ماركم !

من أمتع السير وأكثرها جُرأة ، لدرجة يصعب أحيانًا التصديق أنها وقائع وأحداث حقيقية حدثت في حياة بطلة مِغوارة .

Beryl Markham is someone who has such an insanely interesting life that she HAD to write a book about it, and I’m so glad she did. If you’re searching for a book on someone who broke all stereotypes of women in the 1930s, look no further. And West with the Night is a book recommended by Hemingway himself — yep, that was enough for me.
The first word that comes to mind when I think of Beryl Markham is badass. Beryl Markham grew up in Africa, was attacked by a lion (and she’s just getting started), overcame adversity being a young woman horse trainer, then dropped everything to master flying airplanes. Markham was the first person to fly the Atlantic from east to west, starting in England, landing in America (not to be confused with Amelia Earhart, who flew west to east).
Her story is fascinating, powerful, and will give you major wanderlust. There was definitely a slow pace to this book, it still being an autobiography, but the writing makes it worth every page.
I obviously read mostly fiction, but this book still felt like an entertaining enough read to sway me to the nonfiction side for a bit. Just call me nonfictionaltiff now

This letter from Ernest Hemingway to Maxwell Perkins in 1942 sums up the book better than I ever could:

"Did you read Beryl Markham's book, West with the Night? I knew her fairly well in Africa and never would have suspected that she could and would put pen to paper except to write in her flyer's log book. As it is, she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But [she] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves writers. The only parts of it that I know about personally, on account of having been there at the time and heard the other people's stories, are absolutely true . . . I wish you would get it and read it because it is really a bloody wonderful book."--Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway almost NEVER sang the praises of other writers, especially not his contemporaries. As result, his acclaim for Markham's work can be seen as high praise indeed.

I've read this book twice, and it truly is a wonderful read. Her writing is beautiful and seems nearly effortless. There is, however, quite a bit of controversy surrounding this book and its authorship. Some scholars believe that Markham did not actually write the book, that it was acutally penned by Raoul Schumacher, a scriptwriter and acquaintance of Markham's. Either way, the point is moot -- this truly is "a bloody wonderful book."

One more item of note: notice the ellipsis in the last sentence of Hemingway's letter. I looked it up online to see if anything significant was omitted. The answer is YES -- in this part of the letter, Hemingway describes Markham as being a supreme bitch!!

West With the Night is the memoir of Beryl Markham, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (non-stop from east to west). Although born in England she spent much of her life in Kenya, where she became a horse trainer and bush pilot. She knew Karen Blixen and apparently also had an affair with Denys Finch Hatton. She was an adventurous woman who led an unusual and adventurous life.

The book is interesting and well-written, full of lush description but surprisingly lean on detail. You actually learn very little about Ms. Markham personally, but she brings Africa to life in vivid, poetic detail that gives a wonderful feel for time and place.

I feel like I missed something, since there are so many rave reviews for this book but I just could not get into it! Apparently this is a classic memoir from a famous aviator, but reading this did not give me any insight about why she was famous. Each chapter seemed to be a different story about her life in Africa, arranged in a seemingly random order that made it feel disjointed, and none of the stories really got under my skin. I was bored for most of the stories, since there didn't seem to be a strong narrative, and it was hard to stay focused on the writing because my mind kept wandering. I only made it through half the book before finally giving up, knowing that it just wouldn't hold my attention (I doubt I remember half of what I did read). This was definitely ripe with description, and I enjoyed parts of one chapter that dealt with a supposedly domesticated lion, but the majority of it meandered all over the place. I wish I'd felt more captivated by this or understood why this was such a classic, but alas.

tSeveral GR friends read this and enjoyed it, so when it was offer on sale for Kindle I picked it up. It got put to the head of the TBR list after I read Circling the Sun by Paula McClain. McClain wrote quite passionately about the brilliant writing in this memoir, and portrayed Markham as a very interesting woman.
tMcClain is correct when she writes that it is a shame that Markham’s memoir is far less well known and less read than her quasi rival Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa. While both women are writing about their time in Africa, they approach the issue from different perspectives. With Blixen, I remember how well she writes about her dogs and the various tribesmen. With Markham, I remember how well she writes about horses and hunting.
tAnd no, it’s not hunting in the usual sense of the word. Her chapter about an elephant hunt, that isn’t really a hunt, is one that any teacher should consider using in tandem with Orwell’s often used “Shooting an Elephant”.
tBut the best chapters, in my opinion, are the ones where she is writing about her horses –whether those she owns, rides, or trains. There is a power in those passages.

A lovely book about the life of a fascinating, trailblazing women, and the wild beauty of a time an place.

Some have speculated that Markham did not write this herself. If true, that doesn’t diminish the value of this record of her life and where she lived it. It might, if true, explain how external this memoir is.

After reading it, I can say I know about this woman and her life and perhaps the kind of woman she was. I can’t say I feel I knew her or connected with her. That isn’t because she isn’t relatable, but because the story isn’t particularly reflective, either internally or externally. There is little about the nature and impact of her relationships to others or herself.

We can certainly read between the lines, and think we understand something about what drove her, why she cared about what she did, what her triumphs and disappointments were. But mostly we know about her rather than from her, if that makes sense.

That it isn’t an intimate memoir, but more a fascinating adventure story as memoir, doesn’t reduce its value. It does leave me wishing I could have known her from some amount of self-revelation, beyond the veil of the (skillful, evocative, insightful) external description of remarkable places and happenings.

I do not even know how to accurately review this book. It is a special book. One that showcases Africa in all its splendor. The people, the landscape, the dangers, and the lands serenity are detailed with such a grand literary prose that fills the soul with inspiration. It’s an utterly mesmerizing story told with gusto and heart.

Beryl Markham moved to Kenya with her father when she was very young. When she wasn't surrounded by an astonishing array of animals, she traveled to the air and scouted elephants for the locals. She was also an adventurer and a racehorse trainer, but she probably best known for being the first person to fly non-stop from Europe to America alone.

This is the story of an amazing woman.

Read this if…
❖ You want to learn more about Beryl Markham and her journeys throughout Africa.
❖ Have an affinity for animals and want to learn more about those that roam the African landscape.
❖ Want to be captivated by a variety of African tribes’ daily lives and learn about some of their history.
❖ You enjoy a bit of literature with your autobiography.
❖ Want a lyrical take on life, death, hope, and comradery.
❖ Like beautifully descriptions of the sounds and adventure that Africa had to offer at the time.
❖ Require a pick-me-up for your soul.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n  ||"A map says to you. Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not... I am the earth in the palm of your hand."n

n  ||"It is no good telling yourself that one day you will wish you had never made that change; it is no good anticipating regrets. Every tomorrow ought not to resemble every yesterday."n

n  ||"I am incapable of a profound remark on the workings of destiny."n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Absolutely GORGEOUS writing, achingly beautiful, haunting and so atmospheric: 10/10

What a book! 4.5 stars rounded up. Yes, it wasn't perfect, there was some racism and Beryl using her plane to spot for elephants so rich white hunters could kill them for ivory was heartbreaking — aside from that, it was *almost* perfect.

Don't take my word for it, Ernest Hemingway wrote to Maxwell Perkins in 1942 with some uncharacteristically high praise for the book:

"Did you read Beryl Markham's book, West with the Night? I knew her fairly well in Africa and never would have suspected that she could and would put pen to paper except to write in her flyer's log book. As it is, she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But [she] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves writers. The only parts of it that I know about personally, on account of having been there at the time and heard the other people's stories, are absolutely true . . . I wish you would get it and read it because it is really a bloody wonderful book." — Ernest Hemingway

**QUOTES**

n  "The essence of progress is time."n

“A word grows to a thought—a thought to an idea—an idea to an act. The change is slow, and the Present is a sluggish traveler loafing in the path Tomorrow wants to take.”

“I look at my yesterdays for months past, and find them as good a lot of yesterdays as anybody might want. I sit there in the firelight and see them all. The hours that made them were good, and so were the moments that made the hours. I have had responsibilities and work, dangers and pleasure, good friends, and a world without walls to live in.”

This is unequivocally the finest, most exquisitely written, engrossing memoir I’ve ever read. One particular chapter, entitled ‘Royal Exile’ and written mostly in the voice of a moody thoroughbred horse named Camciscan, left me gaping and teary with emotion. A later chapter about a race between an underdog filly named Wise Child and a stallion named Wrack did the same. Powerful, magnificent writing. I did not particularly enjoy the elephant hunting chapter, but safaris were part of Africa’s history and commerce at the time, and Beryl Markham was not to be left out. The chapter describing Markham’s solo trip across the Atlantic was simply unputdownable and breathtaking.

Beryl Markham lived a hundred lifetimes in one, and any one of us, male or female, would be honored to accomplish (not to mention survive) a quarter of what this woman achieved. Horse trainer, professional bush pilot and first person to fly solo across the North Atlantic from east to west. Other aviators had previously accomplished this feat from west to east, but flying west meant flying against the wind . . . mostly at night. If I’d read this book 40 years ago, it might well have paved a different course for my life - it is that inspiring. Reading it for the first time at age 61, I’m grateful to experience Markham’s journey from a far more comfortable, and infinitely less risky, perch but am no less moved and inspired. Truly, most anything you can dream is possible if you have the determination and, most importantly, the courage.

This book broadened and deepened my world. It humbled me. It amazed me. I grieved for Paddy and Buller and the invincible Tom Black and others. I wasn’t ready to leave Beryl’s life or the majestic, haunting country now called Kenya. Ten out of five stars, straight to my favorites shelf, and one of my best reads of the year. I know - enough already. But this is a superior book. Even Ernest Hemingway admitted it.

5 Stars for West with the Night (audiobook) by Beryl Markham read by Julie Harris.

This is the autobiography of a remarkable woman. Beryl Markham grew up in Africa in the 1920’s. She describes going on big game hunts and training horses. The author is also an accomplished pilot, she flew around Africa and ultimately made the first east to west flight over the Atlantic Ocean. This book is one great adventure after another.

Embarrassment of Riches:
(noun; idiomatic) An abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing.

The above perfectly encapsulates my experience of re-reading Beryl Markham's stunning memoir. The only caveat I'd make is that the last part of the definition makes it sound like a bad thing, when in reality the plethora of descriptive and evocative prose to be found within the 294 pages of this book are about as close to reading nirvana as a I am likely to find in my lifetime.

There are books. And there are books. And then there is this book, which only comes around once every 500 books or so in my reading world. It's impossible to convey why I loved this book so much the second time around. Certainly I enjoyed it when I read it 10+ years ago, and remember being captivated by the way Markham could describe a place or a person or, even more remarkably, a feeling. But this time I was blown away with the style and perfection of this book. Every page conveyed some moving insight to me. Every chapter had, literally, "an embarrassment of riches" for me to re-read, consider, and savor. There's no way to explain that kind of book/reader connection. It just n  isn, and my 5-star rating and overly melodramatic review (yes, I know it is) won't stand up to anyone elses test but my own. And that's ok, because we've all got that book somewhere in each of our reading histories - the one that haunts us and stays with us long after the last chapter is finished.

This one happens to be mine.