- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo; New Ed edition (5 Dec 1991)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006543588
- ISBN-13: 978-0006543589
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
944,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Africa > West Africa
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Product Description
Synopsis
When Peter Hudson set off for Mauritania, he knew it only as a big blank space on a map of Africa. Travelling from the capital, Nouakchott, hardly more than a desert encampment, he found among the oases and ancient caravan towns a people in harmony with their harsh surroundings, and began to understand something of the emerging nation's confrontation with the This book describes Hudson's travels as he progressed by foot, canal and donkey. Peter Hudson's book "A Leaf in the Wind" was shortlisted for the 1988 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
As anyone interested in West Africa will know, finding information in English about Mauritania is pretty difficult. Even books like Lonely Planet's West Africa guidebook cover the whole country (which, don't forget, covers an area twice the size of Spain!) in about 30 pages. There are a number of quality French books about the country (check out "La Mauritanie d'Aujourd Hui" if you can read French), but that's all. So, when I heard about this book (an English original, not a translation from French!), and saw I could buy it for 1p from Amazon, I couldn't really refuse it!
As one would expect from a country also known as "The Great Void", there is not a great deal of action or excitement in this book. However, in no way could it be described as boring. As someone who is keen on this area, it was very interesting to read descriptions from a Western perspective on places that elsewhere are only mentioned by name, not actually discussed in great detail. Peter Hudson visits all the "major" towns in Mauritania - Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Chinguetti etc - and his experiences varied greatly. We also get an insight into the views of the people he meets - their views on women, religion etc - that one wouldn't get from a mere travel guide.
One thing that was never made clear to me was why Hudson decided to go there in the first place. He travelled alone, and doesn't seem to be bound by any sort of timetable or schedule. There are few Westerners who could endure the primtive conditions and the poverty that he seems to relish in (never mind the heat!).
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in West Africa or, more specifically Mauritania itself, as it is a highly readable account of one man's travels there, and (as far as I am aware) the most in-depth book about this desolate country ever to be published.
As one would expect from a country also known as "The Great Void", there is not a great deal of action or excitement in this book. However, in no way could it be described as boring. As someone who is keen on this area, it was very interesting to read descriptions from a Western perspective on places that elsewhere are only mentioned by name, not actually discussed in great detail. Peter Hudson visits all the "major" towns in Mauritania - Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Chinguetti etc - and his experiences varied greatly. We also get an insight into the views of the people he meets - their views on women, religion etc - that one wouldn't get from a mere travel guide.
One thing that was never made clear to me was why Hudson decided to go there in the first place. He travelled alone, and doesn't seem to be bound by any sort of timetable or schedule. There are few Westerners who could endure the primtive conditions and the poverty that he seems to relish in (never mind the heat!).
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in West Africa or, more specifically Mauritania itself, as it is a highly readable account of one man's travels there, and (as far as I am aware) the most in-depth book about this desolate country ever to be published.
Format:Paperback
AS PART OF AN EMBROIDERY PROJECT I WAS ASKED TO LOOK AT THE CULTURE OF MAURITANIA. PETER'S BOOK WAS A GODSEND, I COULD'NT PUT IT DOWN. I'VE SINCE EMAILED HIM AND HE HAS HELPED ME WITH FURTHER INFORMATION. BRILLIANT READ.
Format:Paperback
I very much enjoyed reading this book. Peter Hudson writes in a very readable way, but also in a way that draws an evocative and personal picture of the people he meets and the places that he goes to on his meandering and slow-paced travels.
He writes in an understated style, but with a quiet warmth and humour. He writes about the ordninary people who he meets, and about the lives that they lead that are so shaped by, and tied to, the hot lands of Mauritania. From his writing it is possible to get a sense of the changes that have taken place in this hot land that have affected the lives of the people that live there.
The book was written a few years ago, but still stands up as an excellent read.
He writes in an understated style, but with a quiet warmth and humour. He writes about the ordninary people who he meets, and about the lives that they lead that are so shaped by, and tied to, the hot lands of Mauritania. From his writing it is possible to get a sense of the changes that have taken place in this hot land that have affected the lives of the people that live there.
The book was written a few years ago, but still stands up as an excellent read.
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