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A River that Is Congo
Pierre d’Entremont was the pampered youngest son of a successful French banking family. With an older brother to carry on the family tradition, Pierre is enrolled in the E'cole Militaire with the thought of a political career to follow his military service. But when the chief cashier embezzles all the bank's money and escapes to the Americas, Pierre suddenly has to earn a living. Pierre concludes that, given his military training, his best option is to enter King Leopold's Congo military service He has heard that a fortune can be made in King Leopold's Congo Free State.
Although he has heard stories, mostly told by the British and Americans, of atrocities perpetrated on the natives by King Leopold's agents, stories the King denies, Pierre does not believe them.
Pierre arrives in the Congo in 1902, at the height of Leopold’s exploitation of the Congo. Within the first month, he becomes sick and nearly dies; makes an enemy of Harou, Leopold's most powerful man in the Congo, On the way to his posting he must always keep his gun within reach if he is to stay alive since Harou’s man has been ordered to kill him.
Of Rulers and Ruled is an historical novel of one man's heroic struggle against the greed, cruelty, and terror of a corrupt government in colonial Africa. Pierre d'Entremont went to Africa to seek his fortune, and stayed to fight an evil regime.
Although he has heard stories, mostly told by the British and Americans, of atrocities perpetrated on the natives by King Leopold's agents, stories the King denies, Pierre does not believe them.
Pierre arrives in the Congo in 1902, at the height of Leopold’s exploitation of the Congo. Within the first month, he becomes sick and nearly dies; makes an enemy of Harou, Leopold's most powerful man in the Congo, On the way to his posting he must always keep his gun within reach if he is to stay alive since Harou’s man has been ordered to kill him.
Of Rulers and Ruled is an historical novel of one man's heroic struggle against the greed, cruelty, and terror of a corrupt government in colonial Africa. Pierre d'Entremont went to Africa to seek his fortune, and stayed to fight an evil regime.
235 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 29, 2013
It’s satisfying when a novel proves a transformational journey, externally to a geographical location not encountered before and, also, internally to places in the heart and mind that insist on conscience and compassion. 'A River That Is Congo, of Rulers and Ruled', set in the early years of the 20th century, is such a voyage. Through rich revealing descriptions and characterizations, informational and disturbing lessons in history, and the experiences of a rather naïve (at first), pragmatic but high-minded individual, it shows how greed and corruption lead to injustice and abhorrent suffering.
Like the novel’s protagonist, Pierre d’Entremont, who thought he had taken up his commission in the Force Publique merely to pass a little of his youth and, hopefully, share in some of the fortune to be made in the Belgium Congo, I found myself on a slowly evolving and unexpected passage into a sense of moral and humanistic outrage at the brutality of colonialism from which there was no return.
This is a narrative that is very well-constructive with movement and quietness, too; shocking but also delicate so it’s never extraneously or manipulatively violent. Intensely adventurous, it’s also romantic and speaks to loyalty and respect for life on many levels. It is the story of men made monstrous by their need for power and self-indulgence, those who weakly cower and wait, others who proudly stand and fall, and a cautious rebel until circumstances demand that he act in a way he never imagined he would and somehow has to come to terms with. Perhaps he’s an accidental hero—or not by chance at all. The ending was very surprising—until it wasn’t, full of the sad understanding that the innocent too often become victims of the crimes of the guilty over and over again.
Like the novel’s protagonist, Pierre d’Entremont, who thought he had taken up his commission in the Force Publique merely to pass a little of his youth and, hopefully, share in some of the fortune to be made in the Belgium Congo, I found myself on a slowly evolving and unexpected passage into a sense of moral and humanistic outrage at the brutality of colonialism from which there was no return.
This is a narrative that is very well-constructive with movement and quietness, too; shocking but also delicate so it’s never extraneously or manipulatively violent. Intensely adventurous, it’s also romantic and speaks to loyalty and respect for life on many levels. It is the story of men made monstrous by their need for power and self-indulgence, those who weakly cower and wait, others who proudly stand and fall, and a cautious rebel until circumstances demand that he act in a way he never imagined he would and somehow has to come to terms with. Perhaps he’s an accidental hero—or not by chance at all. The ending was very surprising—until it wasn’t, full of the sad understanding that the innocent too often become victims of the crimes of the guilty over and over again.
February 18, 2014
Paul Stam has forged an unforgettable epic of life in the Belgian Congo in the early part of the 20th Century. The main character, Pierre d'Entremont, was born into a wealthy merchant-class family, but fortunes changed when their business failed. Signing up with the Belgium Force Publique, he is sent to the Congo. Once there, he finds his role as a soldier is solely to protect the Belgian King Leopold's commercial ventures. Ivory, rubber and gold are being taken from the land as the native population is terrorized and enslaved.
A man of independent nature, Pierre begins to break the rules: he treats the people as human beings and learns the native language. His report on the atrocities he has witnessed leads to some change. However, there is no making of a "hero" of Pierre d'Entremont in these pages. He is a decent human being in an untenable situation. A River That Is Congo is fascinating and continues to resonate long after reading.
A man of independent nature, Pierre begins to break the rules: he treats the people as human beings and learns the native language. His report on the atrocities he has witnessed leads to some change. However, there is no making of a "hero" of Pierre d'Entremont in these pages. He is a decent human being in an untenable situation. A River That Is Congo is fascinating and continues to resonate long after reading.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews